Music
"Tubular Bells"
Submitted by ptemples on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 15:58
From time to time, I like to fire up "Tubular Bells" the debut record album masterpiece of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973.
Most people will recognize the opening score as the theme from "The Exorcist." Indeed--it's quite haunting. Oldfield approached--and was rejected by--several established record labels. Some of the rejections were because they believed the piece to be unmarketable.
The album consists in large part of Oldfield overdubbing the following instruments: Acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, Farfisa, Hammond, and Lowrey organs; flageolet, fuzz guitars, glockenspiel, "honky tonk" piano (piano with detuned strings), mandolin, piano, "Piltdown Man", percussion, Spanish guitar, "double speed guitar", "taped motor drive amplifier organ chord", timpani, violin, vocals, and of course--tubular bells. The moderator's voice introducing each instrument was genius, in my humble opinion. I especially love the "Sailor's Hornpipe" score.
Of course, Tubular Bells is still just as "spooky" today as it was almost 30 years ago.
"Me and Mrs. Jones"
Submitted by ptemples on Sun, 02/14/2010 - 18:35
Me and Mrs. Jones
we've got a thing going on.
We both know that it's wrong,
but it's much too strong
to let it go now.
We meet every day
at the same café
6:30 I know - I know she'll be there.
Holding hands - making all kinds of plans
while the jukebox play our favourite song.
--Billy Paul, "Me and Mrs. Jones" from 360 Degrees of Billy Paul (1972)
[Just listened to this song on WROR; it sure brings back memories of the 70s]
♫ "What would Jesus do? He'd say, 'Give the Jew girl toys.'"
Submitted by ptemples on Sun, 12/20/2009 - 17:00
ptemples: ♫ "What would Jesus do? He'd say, 'Give the Jew girl toys.'"
See original: 
♫ "What would Jesus do? He'd say, 'Give the Jew girl toys.'"
Bob at a Chameleons Rehearsal
Submitted by ptemples on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 16:20
November 10, 2009: Shown here: my good friend, Bob Rowlands at a recent Chameleons rehearsal. The Chameleons will next perform at the Town of Chelmsford's "Winterrest" festival in February, 2009.
"Sunny Afternoon"
Submitted by ptemples on Fri, 11/27/2009 - 16:32
"The tax man's taken all my dough,
And left me in my stately home,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
And I can't sail my yacht,
He's taken everything I've got,
All I've got's this sunny afternoon."
--"Sunny Afternoon," The Kinks, 1966
Photo du Jour: Bob and His "Pipes"
Submitted by ptemples on Wed, 10/14/2009 - 11:08
August 25, 2009: My good friend, Bob Rowlands demonstrates several of his recorders to The Chameleons at one of our recent practices in Belmont, MA. The largest one is (I believe) a bass recorder. Bob says there's a teensie, weensie recorder that is on par with a piccolo.
Photo du Jour: "Music Man"
Submitted by ptemples on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 16:43
June 6, 2009: I'm way, way behind on my daily candid photos. This shot from the warmer days in June features a man making music in Harvard Square using all manner of odd items, including garbage cans and even a barbeque. He was quite talented!
For Bill Clinton: ♬ I'm back in the DPRK You don't know how lucky you are, boy Back in the DP Back in the DP Back in the DPRK. ♬
Submitted by ptemples on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 08:56
ptemples: For Bill Clinton:
♬ I'm back in the DPRK
You don't know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the DP
Back in the DP
Back in the DPRK. ♬
Worst Wedding Songs
Submitted by ptemples on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 15:36
A few weeks ago, NPR did a piece on the most inappropriate wedding songs (See Top Ten Wedding Songs). The story featured such gems as "Send in the Clowns" by Judy Collins, "The Lady is a Tramp" by Frank Sinatara--and an especially inappropriate, creepy, stalker song, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.
I had to cringe when I heard this story. You see--my missus and I made the mistake of having an inappropriate song played at our small, non-demoninational service on the Purdue University campus back in 1978. It was non-other than Feelin' Stronger Every Day (1973) by Chicago.
We both identified with the sentiment of the lyrics--at least, the part we had paid attention to. You know: "I do believe in you/ And I know you believe in me/ Oh yeah/ Oh yeah" and "Feelin stronger every day/ Feelin stronger every day."
Little did either of us realize that a good chunk of the song deals with breaking up. Sigh.
Unlike the premise of the NPR story--that the quality of marriages may be judged by the quality of the music selected, I guess we disproved that theory: this year marked our thirty-first anniversary.
Is less always more?
Submitted by ptemples on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 10:53
Shared by ptemples
Only 5000 songs?
My computer has over 5,000 songs on it -- 16.2 days' worth, according to my music-playing software. So how do I ...
See original: 
Is less always more?
