Less Than 50
I am not as good a writer as I would like to be. The only way to get
better is to practise. Did you know that Hunter S. Thompson used to
retype entire works of the likes of Hemingway? He did it, he said, just to get the feel, the flow of what it would be like to write like that. I don't intend to retype "F&L in Vegas" but I do need to practise more often.
To
keep the practise purposeful and engaging, I have come up with an idea
that we can all benefit from. I am going to start a new piece: "Less
Than 50". I am going to attempt to write album reviews in less than 50
words. I'm sick with a fever for listening and learning about music,
particularly Blues and all of its derivatives. In fact, here is my
Music Manifesto statement and how I classify music:
not believe in conventional genres. Genres are used to sell records. I
believe in music that is deeply engraved in the background of the music
makers; all of of whom are connected by a shared experience that links
them inextricably; music with a message and a literal truth.
Everything else is a product of the record labels. The Expereinces: Blues, Country, Gospel (The Trinity of Music Truth…it all comes from here)
The Derivatives:
Folk, Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Cosmic American Music
(nod to GP), Reggae, Singer-Songwriter, Jazz, World (relatively
speaking)
The Transcendents: Originators, DNA, All One Song (ode to Neil), Innovators Back to the Less Than 50.
I figure that by writing about music will help me stay focused and
interested. Writing reviews in less than fifty words will allow me to
work on the brevity of my messages…both written and verbal. It is good to keep honing these skills. Communication is King and those that do it well, in all its forms, rule. I have almost 1,400 albums in my collection ; I will not be short of material.
First up on the Less than 50: Neil Young, "Fork in the Road"
Neil is exercising some freeway existentialism on"FITR". Neil seems to think the US is in a state of economic and
self-awareness chaos. He's just taking us on a long drive to try and
make sense of it all. Car themes aside, this album is about choices.
___ OK, that right there is 48 words. I really don't think
anyone can get a good idea about the sound of the album from what I
wrote. Less than fifty may not be enough…especially if I take a
narrative approach. I either have to change my approach to be less narrative and more rat-tat-tat, or change the amount of words. Let's
chalk that first one up to "learning the game" (Buddy Holly reference
alert!). Bring on the comments…as many words as you like.
Less than 100 would be great because I think you need another sentence or two to let us know more about the music. I always like to know what tracks to look for. As a casual fan of music, I usually go right for the tracks that are popular or were recommended by a friend. Writing comes with practice. It looks great already.
Neil has a big bag of tricks, but no new ones here. Gonna say what’s on his mind when and how he feels like it. He’s a lot of things — subtle ain’t one. The concept doesn’t have a lot going for it. Is “Fuel Line” the funkiest riff he’s ever . . .
No Kipster, I agree…no new Neil tricks here. It’s all one song for Neil. I blew out my review by another 50 words and said the same thing you did…”he music doesn’t meet the mystique…and that’s ok”. Yeah, Fuel Line has a bit of Re-Ac-Tor in it. It has multiple plays for me.
“My trip is to express what’s on my mind”. “And another thing: Kip, here is a comment from Shakey himself (an expert from a Cameron Crowe interview). “Every one of my records, to me, is like an ongoing autobiography. I can’t write the same book very time. There are artists that can. They put out three or four albums every year and everything fucking sounds the same. That’s great. Somebody’s trying to communicate to a lot of people and give them the kind of music that they know they want to hear. That isn’t my trip. My trip is to express what’s on my mind.“That is why he is the man. Uncompromising and unconventional.
New Bob: cajun, country, blues, swing. Clearest, loudest, in-ya-face, vocal growl ever. Slick but loose ‘live’ production from Jack Frost. From slow burning to a Nawlin’s dirge. A 50′s prequel. Classic! (First listen; under influence of a dynamite doobie . . .)
I believe that man is on to something…or on something. Kipington, nice effort. I will have to touché once I get my ear on the new sounds.
Uncompromising and unconventional. Fully agree, Juddster! Neil blatantly never ever second guesses himself. Only the legends can do that with such consistency. And that’s exactly what draws me to him. Sometimes he’s got plenty of time and the results are sublime and travelling in a parallel universe. Sometimes he seems rushed and it ain’t classic. Then again, he can be angry and pushy and it’s mind-blowing. He has all the tricks. Every one of them.