Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
A vote for Ryan Zimmerman is a vote for forward thinking!
If you go and vote for Ryan Zimmerman, can you leave me a comment? Just curious...
vote early and often just like a real election...!
Click here to vote for Zimmerman to make the Major League Baseball All Star team
vote early and often just like a real election...!
Click here to vote for Zimmerman to make the Major League Baseball All Star team
Monday, June 28, 2010
G8/G20 thoughts
So, we've passed by the G8/G20 week.
How much do you suppose it should cost to host 20 world leaders? Apparently 1 billion is too much. I wonder how much it is supposed to cost? Headline writers who called it a "boondoggle" must know how much it should cost... Today I heard an irresponsible broadcaster say that the "police had a billion dollars at their disposal, why did things get out of hand?" Apparently that whole billion went to the police...!!!
I'm pretty glad I don't live in a country where police are not too well practiced at breaking up mobs of rampaging vandals.
Why do the police carefully say things like, "It is just a few making the majority look bad."? Meanwhile, the rhetoricians at protestor headquarters say things like, "The police are showing lack of restraint."
What exactly were the protests about?
What did they accomplish?
Why does the act of protest get more attention than the point of protest, and more than the good that may or may not have been accomplished by the gathered leaders?
How much do you suppose it should cost to host 20 world leaders? Apparently 1 billion is too much. I wonder how much it is supposed to cost? Headline writers who called it a "boondoggle" must know how much it should cost... Today I heard an irresponsible broadcaster say that the "police had a billion dollars at their disposal, why did things get out of hand?" Apparently that whole billion went to the police...!!!
I'm pretty glad I don't live in a country where police are not too well practiced at breaking up mobs of rampaging vandals.
Why do the police carefully say things like, "It is just a few making the majority look bad."? Meanwhile, the rhetoricians at protestor headquarters say things like, "The police are showing lack of restraint."
What exactly were the protests about?
What did they accomplish?
Why does the act of protest get more attention than the point of protest, and more than the good that may or may not have been accomplished by the gathered leaders?
Friday, June 25, 2010
The best of the rest, as promised and only a few days late...
I said on Monday that I'd post this list Tuesday... is this Tuesday still?
Monday's list was most inspirational to me.
This list is just plain favourites.
The Matrix
Monty Python Quest for the Holy Grail
The Philadelphia Story
All About Eve
Vertigo
The Princess Bride
The Royal Tennenbaums
O Brother Where Art Thou
Citizen Kane
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
In the Heat of the Night
The Grapes of Wrath
Toy Story
Wall-E
Up
That list will do for now... we still have about 40 or so from our list of 100 to watch so far, so likely that list will grow over time.
Monday's list was most inspirational to me.
This list is just plain favourites.
The Matrix
Monty Python Quest for the Holy Grail
The Philadelphia Story
All About Eve
Vertigo
The Princess Bride
The Royal Tennenbaums
O Brother Where Art Thou
Citizen Kane
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
In the Heat of the Night
The Grapes of Wrath
Toy Story
Wall-E
Up
That list will do for now... we still have about 40 or so from our list of 100 to watch so far, so likely that list will grow over time.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Dirty Dozen Movie List
Five or six years ago, this list would have been a lot different. I don’t even know if I could have come up with 12 movies for this category at that point. I have not been watching a lot of inspiring new movies. I am sure they still make those (I just saw The Blindside a few days ago and really enjoyed it.) The reality has been that I have been exposed to many old movies through the wonders of the modern library and the joys of the Best Buy shelf.
Several years ago my dear wife and I decided to watch the American Film Institute’s list of top 100 movies. Since then they’ve come out with an updated list and we pick off of that list too. I also decided back then that I wasn’t going to just watch, I was going to engage- pay attention to what was being said. I must admit that that doesn’t always happen, sometimes I just sit and watch. Sometimes I’m waiting to see why this movie could possibly have made the list (see Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf… no wait, don’t see it!). Suffice it to say then, that while I have not seen that many movies in my life, I’ve seen lots of acclaimed ones covering a wide variety of time periods. If you’ve not visited some of these older movies, you’re missing out, if you’re a literature/movie fan.
The Power of One. That seems to be the trend for my movie selections. I don’t know why that seems to be at the top of my list of inspirational things. I thought about adding A Beautiful Mind since it has an inspiring personal story and an even more inspiring love story, but it didn’t quite make it. For some reason, those stories are not quite as powerful to me as these which tend to follow that thought- The Power of One.
The Weakness of the Whole. The opposite of the power of one is also true. We live in a world where as a whole we are sick. We fail, we are weak. We tend toward protection of those like us. We do not hold up those in need. We do kick each other when we fall (see Tiger Woods, Britney Spears, et al.) We hate, we avoid, we ignore, we kill, we rage, we over simplify or over complicate, we compete, we conquer, we divide.
It seems to be the one who has to fix the whole. Jesus is my strongest example of this.
Here they be then, top 12, no particular order.
It’s a Wonderful LifeFor one thing, you get to watch Jimmy Stewart in almost every scene. That’s worth the price of admission. Frank Capra’s movies have been given the knock of being “Capra”-corn. You can see that with this movie. However, that doesn’t mean the idea portrayed- that everyone’s life is important and, potentially, wonderfully important to others- isn’t worth reflecting on.
Mr. Holland’s OpusWhy this obscure one? Well, partly because of when it came out. Right as I was in my last year of teacher training , this Richard Dreyfuss movie came out and made it okay for me to believe that, like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, it was possible for me to make a real impact on the life of others. And, it was more than a flash in the pan, it was his whole career. It gave great perspective for a guy just starting out.
Dead Poets SocietyAnother teacher movie. This one helped me to get a glimpse into what it takes to inspire kids to pursue their dreams. Even to dream if they’ve never dreamed before. I think it even helped me to dream dreams I had never dreamed before. A great, sad, wonderful movie.
Schindler’s ListSee, there’s inspirational, compelling you to pulling up your socks. Then there’s inspirational, compelling you to help other people pull up their socks. Then there’s inspirational where you are forced to come to grips with doing something about people actually losing their life. Schindler’s List.
City LightsCharlie Chaplin stars as the little tramp who does his best to do his best, even when he doesn’t know what is right. His redemptive actions toward his love are inspiring in light of his outcast roll in society.
On the Waterfront
Will you do what is right even when it means you’ll lose? When it could cost you your life? When it means the people who are close to you won’t appreciate you? Will I?
Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonTrying to sneak another Jimmy Stewart movie in here…Small town hero becomes a national hero. The machine of big government can not stand against one man who knows he is right. What difference can one man make? What a difference!
The Fellowship of the Rings
For Sam alone, I love this movie. Loyalty is not a word heard round these parts these days (thanks, Bill Mallonee).
The Shawshank RedemptionHope in the midst of darkness. You can lock up a man’s body, but not his spirit.
Here are two men who I need to learn from.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044706/
What wins out, your beliefs or your friends? Are some things I hold to be true not really true? Could it be possible to stand for what is right even when no one else does? No one, only you?
Field of Dreams
I must say that as much as I love this movie, I loved the book even more. Read it, Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella. The movie reminds us of the power of dreams and the eternal impact we can have on others. This movie portrays it as a love of baseball, we all know there are more things too. But I love baseball and this movie has inspiring and baseball. Plus I went to college just outside of Davenport, Iowa and worked in a classroom with a girl who was Kevin Costner’s “baby”.
Life is Beautiful
I think this movie may be number one. If you haven’t seen this one, you haven’t seen an inspirational movie yet. A man, his son, the darkest hour, the brightest heart. You’ve got to watch this one and weep and laugh and mourn and rejoice. And sigh for our cynical world.
12 Angry Men
What would happen if one man stood up against what everyone else sees as being opposite to him? What if he was right? What would you do? How would you get other people to see things your way?
I put in thirteen, but the last one has 12 in the title, so it fits the rules.
Several years ago my dear wife and I decided to watch the American Film Institute’s list of top 100 movies. Since then they’ve come out with an updated list and we pick off of that list too. I also decided back then that I wasn’t going to just watch, I was going to engage- pay attention to what was being said. I must admit that that doesn’t always happen, sometimes I just sit and watch. Sometimes I’m waiting to see why this movie could possibly have made the list (see Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf… no wait, don’t see it!). Suffice it to say then, that while I have not seen that many movies in my life, I’ve seen lots of acclaimed ones covering a wide variety of time periods. If you’ve not visited some of these older movies, you’re missing out, if you’re a literature/movie fan.
The Power of One. That seems to be the trend for my movie selections. I don’t know why that seems to be at the top of my list of inspirational things. I thought about adding A Beautiful Mind since it has an inspiring personal story and an even more inspiring love story, but it didn’t quite make it. For some reason, those stories are not quite as powerful to me as these which tend to follow that thought- The Power of One.
The Weakness of the Whole. The opposite of the power of one is also true. We live in a world where as a whole we are sick. We fail, we are weak. We tend toward protection of those like us. We do not hold up those in need. We do kick each other when we fall (see Tiger Woods, Britney Spears, et al.) We hate, we avoid, we ignore, we kill, we rage, we over simplify or over complicate, we compete, we conquer, we divide.
It seems to be the one who has to fix the whole. Jesus is my strongest example of this.
Here they be then, top 12, no particular order.
It’s a Wonderful LifeFor one thing, you get to watch Jimmy Stewart in almost every scene. That’s worth the price of admission. Frank Capra’s movies have been given the knock of being “Capra”-corn. You can see that with this movie. However, that doesn’t mean the idea portrayed- that everyone’s life is important and, potentially, wonderfully important to others- isn’t worth reflecting on.
Mr. Holland’s OpusWhy this obscure one? Well, partly because of when it came out. Right as I was in my last year of teacher training , this Richard Dreyfuss movie came out and made it okay for me to believe that, like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, it was possible for me to make a real impact on the life of others. And, it was more than a flash in the pan, it was his whole career. It gave great perspective for a guy just starting out.
Dead Poets SocietyAnother teacher movie. This one helped me to get a glimpse into what it takes to inspire kids to pursue their dreams. Even to dream if they’ve never dreamed before. I think it even helped me to dream dreams I had never dreamed before. A great, sad, wonderful movie.
Schindler’s ListSee, there’s inspirational, compelling you to pulling up your socks. Then there’s inspirational, compelling you to help other people pull up their socks. Then there’s inspirational where you are forced to come to grips with doing something about people actually losing their life. Schindler’s List.
City LightsCharlie Chaplin stars as the little tramp who does his best to do his best, even when he doesn’t know what is right. His redemptive actions toward his love are inspiring in light of his outcast roll in society.
On the Waterfront
Will you do what is right even when it means you’ll lose? When it could cost you your life? When it means the people who are close to you won’t appreciate you? Will I?
Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonTrying to sneak another Jimmy Stewart movie in here…Small town hero becomes a national hero. The machine of big government can not stand against one man who knows he is right. What difference can one man make? What a difference!
The Fellowship of the Rings
For Sam alone, I love this movie. Loyalty is not a word heard round these parts these days (thanks, Bill Mallonee).
The Shawshank RedemptionHope in the midst of darkness. You can lock up a man’s body, but not his spirit.
Here are two men who I need to learn from.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044706/
What wins out, your beliefs or your friends? Are some things I hold to be true not really true? Could it be possible to stand for what is right even when no one else does? No one, only you?
Field of Dreams
I must say that as much as I love this movie, I loved the book even more. Read it, Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella. The movie reminds us of the power of dreams and the eternal impact we can have on others. This movie portrays it as a love of baseball, we all know there are more things too. But I love baseball and this movie has inspiring and baseball. Plus I went to college just outside of Davenport, Iowa and worked in a classroom with a girl who was Kevin Costner’s “baby”.
Life is Beautiful
I think this movie may be number one. If you haven’t seen this one, you haven’t seen an inspirational movie yet. A man, his son, the darkest hour, the brightest heart. You’ve got to watch this one and weep and laugh and mourn and rejoice. And sigh for our cynical world.
12 Angry Men
What would happen if one man stood up against what everyone else sees as being opposite to him? What if he was right? What would you do? How would you get other people to see things your way?
I put in thirteen, but the last one has 12 in the title, so it fits the rules.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Top 12 movies next!
Similar to the Desert island discs post, this one is your top twelve most impactful movies. Sign up, leave a comment if you need help getting in!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Top Ten Country Albums
Well, here are my country discs. I'm not a great country fan, meaning I wish I knew more of the older classics (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Petula Clark, etc.) I didn't go with the really old stuff (Arlo Guthrie, et al) either because its hard for me to draw a line between folk, Americana and older country. I also tried to avoid bluegrass since its a totally separate genre at our house. Of course, like all good music, the lines are blurred even within any given song. Most of these discs are "new country" because that's mostly what we have, thanks to my dear wife. I must admit, like all styles of music, if its well done, its good. What I most like about country is that the lyrics have to be done well (or cheesy, but even then, they have to be clever covered with cheese) and usually there is good instrumentation in there too.
Travis Tritt- Down the Road I Go
A sentimental favourite for me, Great Day to be Alive, Love of a Woman for the two women in my house.
Garth Brooks- Ropin’ the Wind
Just a lot of good songs on there. The River...Burning Bridges, Shameless
Diamond Rio- The Reason Probably my favourite one of all these, and the newest too. God is There...click here for the bigger picture.
Dixie Chicks- Fly
Ready to Run, Cowboy Take Me Away, and of course, Goodbye Earl. I always liked that they said what they said about the war too. Its too bad that country music wasn't able to hear a different side of things, especially when they got blamed for saying something that they didn't really say...
Shotgun Angel- Daniel Amos
Just have to give a nod of the head to Daniel Amos' early days as an Eagles-infused country group. Oh yeah, what a meal!
Cash – Ultimate Gospel
A lot of wonderful songs, this is what all gospel should be like, I think.
Johnny Cash- The Essential Johnny Cash
This one made my top 15 desert island list... I don't think I saw Johnny on anyone else's list? Why is that?
Randy Travis- Always and Forever
A sentimental favourite as its the first country album I ever heard from beginning to end and it was several times one summer at camp in Quebec... 1988?
Once Upon a Christmas- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Its Kenny and Dolly... come on!
Statler Brothers- Random Burned cd of Christmas Songs, must be burned because I can’t find any record of this being an official disc, but on our iTunes, they’re all together. And they’re fun.
Travis Tritt- Down the Road I Go
A sentimental favourite for me, Great Day to be Alive, Love of a Woman for the two women in my house.
Garth Brooks- Ropin’ the Wind
Just a lot of good songs on there. The River...Burning Bridges, Shameless
Diamond Rio- The Reason Probably my favourite one of all these, and the newest too. God is There...click here for the bigger picture.
Dixie Chicks- Fly
Ready to Run, Cowboy Take Me Away, and of course, Goodbye Earl. I always liked that they said what they said about the war too. Its too bad that country music wasn't able to hear a different side of things, especially when they got blamed for saying something that they didn't really say...
Shotgun Angel- Daniel Amos
Just have to give a nod of the head to Daniel Amos' early days as an Eagles-infused country group. Oh yeah, what a meal!
Cash – Ultimate Gospel
A lot of wonderful songs, this is what all gospel should be like, I think.
Johnny Cash- The Essential Johnny Cash
This one made my top 15 desert island list... I don't think I saw Johnny on anyone else's list? Why is that?
Randy Travis- Always and Forever
A sentimental favourite as its the first country album I ever heard from beginning to end and it was several times one summer at camp in Quebec... 1988?
Once Upon a Christmas- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Its Kenny and Dolly... come on!
Statler Brothers- Random Burned cd of Christmas Songs, must be burned because I can’t find any record of this being an official disc, but on our iTunes, they’re all together. And they’re fun.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Country Music this way cometh!
On Monday May 31st I will be posting my COUNTRY TOP TEN FAVORITES, a listing of country albums that are some of my favorites. If you enjoy country, feel free to join me in this listing. You call the shots as to how you define your country music. How do you define country music? Tell us about it.
I dare you to join in my dear wife!
I dare you to join in my dear wife!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Humble yourself or be humbled
I've wondered several times why I really did start this blog. I know what I first wrote out, that I felt I had to get out what was in, that transparency was something I thought I needed to develop. I wonder though. Do I really want transparency or publicity?
There are many people padding statistics and trying to get people to notice them. Too many with nothing to say or offer. I wonder if I just want to attract flies, as I put it before.
I've been forced to think a lot about humility lately. I wrote that sentence like that on purpose. I think I have to be forced to think about humility. I don't really want to. I need to.
We've been talking a lot at our local church about humility and the need to humble ourselves. How we risk killing ourselves off if we are so certain we are right that we ignore or criticize others. We have to have beliefs, but we have to submit to others as well. Not to change our beliefs, but to challenge ourselves and others in their beliefs. If they're true, they'll stand up to the challenge. If they're not true, they need to be toppled anyway.
We have certain things we hold on to as followers of Jesus Christ. If we give those up, we cease to follow him. All roads do not lead to Him. He doesn't give us that option. John 14:6.
We have certain things that we believe to be true, things that we believe the Bible teaches us to be true. Things that we know others disagree on, based on the Bible. Those things we need to humble ourselves on.
Sadly, the third category tends to be the one that causes the majority of tension, simple preferences. These are not based on Scripture, just pure tradition, likes/dislikes, or comfort level. These we must submit to one another on. We do not have to exercise our freedom. We have the freedom to not cause problems. We have the freedom to live out love. We have the freedom to ignore our own rights. We have the freedom to enjoy our liberty and the liberty of others.
We have to humble ourselves. We don't want to wait until He has to do it for us.
There are many people padding statistics and trying to get people to notice them. Too many with nothing to say or offer. I wonder if I just want to attract flies, as I put it before.
I've been forced to think a lot about humility lately. I wrote that sentence like that on purpose. I think I have to be forced to think about humility. I don't really want to. I need to.
We've been talking a lot at our local church about humility and the need to humble ourselves. How we risk killing ourselves off if we are so certain we are right that we ignore or criticize others. We have to have beliefs, but we have to submit to others as well. Not to change our beliefs, but to challenge ourselves and others in their beliefs. If they're true, they'll stand up to the challenge. If they're not true, they need to be toppled anyway.
We have certain things we hold on to as followers of Jesus Christ. If we give those up, we cease to follow him. All roads do not lead to Him. He doesn't give us that option. John 14:6.
We have certain things that we believe to be true, things that we believe the Bible teaches us to be true. Things that we know others disagree on, based on the Bible. Those things we need to humble ourselves on.
Sadly, the third category tends to be the one that causes the majority of tension, simple preferences. These are not based on Scripture, just pure tradition, likes/dislikes, or comfort level. These we must submit to one another on. We do not have to exercise our freedom. We have the freedom to not cause problems. We have the freedom to live out love. We have the freedom to ignore our own rights. We have the freedom to enjoy our liberty and the liberty of others.
We have to humble ourselves. We don't want to wait until He has to do it for us.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The best of the rest
A bunch I wanted to take but couldn’t. Who came up with the number 15 anyway? Isn’t the desert island the reason the iPod was invented?
Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas I really like Aaron Neville and I need a few Christmas albums. This one’s a great one.
Avocado Faultline-Terry Scott Taylor for so many reasons
The Best of Bob Dylan- just because he’s Bob
The Best of Sting and the Police- Different from everything else I’m taking and I just like Sting
Best of Van Morrison- Lots of good reasons on this one too, especially Brown Eyed Girl, to remind me of mine.
Blender-Collective Soul- A couple good reasons, mostly “Speak My Language”
Circle Slide-the choir This one just says “home” and that’s what I’d be thinking of every waking minute if I was on a desert island.
Dig- Adam Again- funky sadness. Kind of an oxymoron, but works beautifully.
Doppelganger- Daniel Amos One of the most significant albums I own because it got me into a lot of great books, then great writers, then just opened my eyes to lots of things I never really paid attention to before. But. I can’t take it with me because then it would make me miss the hundreds of books I can’t take with me.
Grace Shaker-LSU Like every LSU release, edgy and real. This one also seasoned with grace.
Eighty Eight-77’s Just because it’s a fun fun listen.
Eye of the Storm-Mark Heard… Someone else (Glen?) had this on their list yesterday and I had to go back and add it, another one I only have on tape. Wonderful gentle songs, Well Worn Pages being one of my favourites.
Fly-Dixie Chicks Just because every once in a while you want to drawl “Goodbye Earl”.
The Jesus Record- Rich Mullins I just love “My Deliverer”
Knowledge and Innocence- Terry Scott Taylor Again, this album reminds me of home and church and family and the sad, good things of life.
The Lost Cabin and the Mystery Trees- The Lost Dogs “Only one Bum in Corona Del Mar”
Perfumed Letter- Bill Mallonee Great memories.
Shaded Pain- LSU Artsy angst. Weird sad strange wild songs.
Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits : Simply for Sounds of Silence, since its what I’ll be experiencing, though not how they meant it.
Songs-Rich Mullins: Simply for “If I Stand”. What a song.
Space Oddity- David Bowie Simply for Space Oddity. I feel a parallel with Major Tom and me on my little sodden lump of sand.
Star Bright- Vanessa Williams Christmas comes even on deserted islands
Sunday’s Child- Phil Keaggy What a great album, 25 years after the British invasion, this was the last one I scratched from my list.
V.O.L- Vigilantes of Love- I don’t even know why I want this one specifically, but sometimes Bill and the Vigilantes just suit the mood.
We All Gonna Face the Rising Sun- Michael Roe ‘Cause I haven’t had time to fully digest it and I love it anyway.
Wide Eyed Wonder- the choir This one would make me cry and I couldn’t work on my own personal survival. I just can’t take it. “Listen to how fast my little girl’s heart beats” Plus its got a bunch of weird wonderful sad songs. That puts it at the top of any of my lists.
Zoom Daddy- Swirling Eddies Simply for “The Twist” But it might be fun to put “Some Friendly Advice” to the test.
I must admit that there are lots of other songs I’d really miss, but mostly for the lyrics and you can always sing them yourself, especially if no one else is around. Is that you, Friday?
Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas I really like Aaron Neville and I need a few Christmas albums. This one’s a great one.
Avocado Faultline-Terry Scott Taylor for so many reasons
The Best of Bob Dylan- just because he’s Bob
The Best of Sting and the Police- Different from everything else I’m taking and I just like Sting
Best of Van Morrison- Lots of good reasons on this one too, especially Brown Eyed Girl, to remind me of mine.
Blender-Collective Soul- A couple good reasons, mostly “Speak My Language”
Circle Slide-the choir This one just says “home” and that’s what I’d be thinking of every waking minute if I was on a desert island.
Dig- Adam Again- funky sadness. Kind of an oxymoron, but works beautifully.
Doppelganger- Daniel Amos One of the most significant albums I own because it got me into a lot of great books, then great writers, then just opened my eyes to lots of things I never really paid attention to before. But. I can’t take it with me because then it would make me miss the hundreds of books I can’t take with me.
Grace Shaker-LSU Like every LSU release, edgy and real. This one also seasoned with grace.
Eighty Eight-77’s Just because it’s a fun fun listen.
Eye of the Storm-Mark Heard… Someone else (Glen?) had this on their list yesterday and I had to go back and add it, another one I only have on tape. Wonderful gentle songs, Well Worn Pages being one of my favourites.
Fly-Dixie Chicks Just because every once in a while you want to drawl “Goodbye Earl”.
The Jesus Record- Rich Mullins I just love “My Deliverer”
Knowledge and Innocence- Terry Scott Taylor Again, this album reminds me of home and church and family and the sad, good things of life.
The Lost Cabin and the Mystery Trees- The Lost Dogs “Only one Bum in Corona Del Mar”
Perfumed Letter- Bill Mallonee Great memories.
Shaded Pain- LSU Artsy angst. Weird sad strange wild songs.
Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits : Simply for Sounds of Silence, since its what I’ll be experiencing, though not how they meant it.
Songs-Rich Mullins: Simply for “If I Stand”. What a song.
Space Oddity- David Bowie Simply for Space Oddity. I feel a parallel with Major Tom and me on my little sodden lump of sand.
Star Bright- Vanessa Williams Christmas comes even on deserted islands
Sunday’s Child- Phil Keaggy What a great album, 25 years after the British invasion, this was the last one I scratched from my list.
V.O.L- Vigilantes of Love- I don’t even know why I want this one specifically, but sometimes Bill and the Vigilantes just suit the mood.
We All Gonna Face the Rising Sun- Michael Roe ‘Cause I haven’t had time to fully digest it and I love it anyway.
Wide Eyed Wonder- the choir This one would make me cry and I couldn’t work on my own personal survival. I just can’t take it. “Listen to how fast my little girl’s heart beats” Plus its got a bunch of weird wonderful sad songs. That puts it at the top of any of my lists.
Zoom Daddy- Swirling Eddies Simply for “The Twist” But it might be fun to put “Some Friendly Advice” to the test.
I must admit that there are lots of other songs I’d really miss, but mostly for the lyrics and you can always sing them yourself, especially if no one else is around. Is that you, Friday?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Desert Island "Albums"
Obviously choosing 15 albums out of the hundreds of thousands produced is pretty daunting. I’ve decided to go simply with ones we own, since I know these cds pretty well and even though I’d like to add albums by the Beach Boys or Beatles or maybe Pete Seger or Blind Willie Johnson or Ray Charles to the list or maybe something by Beethoven or Mozart. I don’t know truly know anything about a full album of them to add them to the list. Songs yes, albums no. If I don’t know what I’m missing it means I can leave them off the list.
When it came down to it, I had to decide which album would I not want to never hear again. This was very difficult. On our iTunes list we have over 4000 songs, 170 days plus worth of music. That’s a long list to narrow down. As soon as I publish this, there’s going to be 10 more I realize I’d rather have than some of these. Part of the fun of lists like these is in the second-guessing.
I wanted to make number 15 a burned disc of all the songs I wouldn’t be taking that I wanted to take, but that seemed like another post for another day.
Without further ado, here’s my list, alphabetical order.
Chagall Guevara
by Chagall Guevara
What an album. This one is so sad and raw and angry and hopeful all at once. What a great disc. Chagall Guevara was Steve Taylor, David Perkins, Lynn Nichols, Mike Mead and Wade Jaynes. A great lineup of players and too many personalities for one band. Apparently. They only recorded this one disc, but it remains a top of the list favourite for many people. This cd will sear your heart. If you will let it. Let the lyrics grip you.
Lyrical snippets from Chagall Guevara:
"Every other week on visiting day, I get tolerated by his new wife, I swear, if he ever really held me, They'd have to pry me off with the jaws of life" "My agenda was hidden well, Now I don't know where I left it" "All of us Neros fanning ourselves
Damp with the sweat of regret, Just killing time with our eyes to the skies, Waiting on science our savior" "Hey, don't I know you from some other life? You were wide-eyed and green, And a little bit taller, And you didn't look away, When spoken to"
Chase the Kangaroo-
by the choir ( no capitals is their fault, not mine)
I had to have something by the choir. Many of their fans find their earliest phase to be their favourite and this album is their fourth in the 6 album first phase. Its full of fantastic writing by Steve “Skinny” Hindalong and interesting sound combinations of keyboard, saxophone, lyricon, jangling guitars, musical bass and varied percussion. Over all this is Derri Daugherty’s shockingly sweet voice. The liner notes are worth the price of admission alone, for the lyrics, but also for the side bar comments explaining where some of the more obscure lyrics come from and glimpses into the recording process.
There are songs about love here. Songs of worship based on the Psalms. There are songs of life and spirituality and loss and the awesomeness of God. There are songs about the struggle to make art and balancing that with financial concerns. It also has one of my favourite songs, “Chase the Kangaroo” which has always been a mysterious, fun song because you know there’s a depth there that goes beyond the silly “Bugs Bunny dug to China, I guess I’ll go down under” line.
A bonus to taking this cd is that it also includes the CD Shades of Gray a 5 song ep released after their first cd, well, record/cassette back then. It has another of my favourite choir songs, “Fifteen Doors” since it reminds me of the only time I’ve seen the choir live back in 1990 in Toronto.
The first song is simply called “Consider” and that sets the tone for the whole disk. So much to think about and to mull over, still mulling over it 22 years later, well I guess I only heard it 20 years ago for the first time.
Lyrical snippets from Chase the Kangaroo:
“The cosmonauts were first in space/ to search for God and find no trace/ with a killer cloud of reason for rhyme/ the devil enlightens the children of time.”
Other standout songs include “So Far Away”, “Cain”, and “Sad Face”
Collective Soul
by Collective Soul
Collective Soul leapt to prominence with “Shine” from Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, well, I guess it came earlier than that, but got re-released on that CD. I’m only saying this so no one will post and try to correct me. Anyway.
“Shine”. It’s why I love Collective Soul. Not their song, though I do like it too. It’s what they do, as far as I can tell. Either they’ve got some clever gimmick going to draw a wider audience or they’ve got some very spiritual message to deliver. Shine is what they do. They’ve been signed to major labels throughout the years, got lots of play on regular radio and MTV/MuchMusic, and yet, hidden in front of your eyes, or there in your ears, is the message of love and hope and redemption and mercy and grace and God, that is nearly the whole Christian message. I say nearly, because they don’t refer to Jesus very often and certainly not very plainly. Yet, they shout, sometimes scream his acts, his heart to a world in despairing need of that message. I always remember someone telling me they first came to Christianity through the questions being asked by the Moody Blues back in the 70’s. Similarly, Collective Soul asks and sometimes answers the questions that we all need to ask.
I chose “Collective Soul” as a desert island disc because it has a few more songs on it that I love than any other, especially, “The World I Know” (please follow the link to see a music video of this song, this was the video that first got me listening to Collective Soul.)
I know that music snobs sometimes look down their noses at Collective Soul as being pretty much the same thing all the time and pretty straightforward musically, but I like it. Don’t know why really, but I’m not alone.
Lyrical snippets from Collective Soul
“Cleansing out your tarnished heart/ its simple”. “Confine me in walls of truth/cause love does what love should do/No more sentence all of my pain has been freed/ Why should this end when your mercy is all I need.” “She gathers rain/ To wash away all her guilt and pain/ she gathers rain/she gathers rain/To wash and cleanse and make her whole again.” “Resonate tones of saving grace/Separate from the gods of hate/Alleviate all our doubting ways.”
Essential Johnny Cash
by Johnny Cash
Who doesn’t like Johnny?
“Blistered”, “Busted”, “ Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station”, “Daddy Sang Bass”,
“Dirty old Egg-Sucking Dog, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”, “I got Stripes”, “Jackson”, “Ring of Fire”, “The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer”, “The Rebel-Johnny Yuma”, Something for every minute of every day.
Furthermore: From the Stage and From the Studio
by Jars of Clay
Only one, no, two reasons why this one makes the list… “Love Song for a Savior”. My dear wife gave me this song before we were married, okay before we were engaged, okay, before I even knew I loved her to let me know where she was. I guess it helped me to confirm where I was. Makes us stop and listen every time it comes through the speakers.
Furthermore also has “Dig” on it, and though I prefer the original by the late great and much missed Gene Eugene, and his band Adam Again, I just appreciate that the Jars of Clay boys recorded it and let it reach a far broader audience than Adam Again had.
Lyrical snippets from Furthermore:
“Though the pain is an ocean/Tossing us around, around, around/ You have calmed greater waters/ Higher mountains have come down.” “The earth is hard, but the treasure is fine/ at the sea, I’ll wait on my knees”
Good Monsters
by Jars of Clay
I don’t know why I really like this album so well. Its hard to nail it down. Maybe it’s the combination of things, sum of the parts in this case adding up to something greater than something or other…
First its risky. There are lyrical things here that are risk taking. To make your first single have as its most memorable line “I’m just a dead man/lying on the carpet/Can’t find a heartbeat” is pretty risky. People seemed to get that one though since the song got lots of radio airplay. It also has the song “Oh My God” which could be taken in the wrong way through careless listening. There are risky musical things too. There’s a little more aggression here than on most Jars releases. Not that I know all their cds at this point. So maybe I’m wrong, it just comes across pretty bold.
Second its honest. There are so many good thoughts and honest self assessments, awareness of human frailty and our times. This is not really new or unique for Jars of Clay, but it’s a strong point in this recording.
Third, its gentle. This is a part of what makes Jars unique I think, that in the boldness and raw honesty, there is a gentleness available near the surface. See the stellar Julie Miller tune they cover for a good example, “All My Tears”.
Fourth, it’s the best Jars of Clay have ever sounded instrumentally, well, again, best from what I know of them. They’ve got so many good songs in their history, but so many of them sound so similar and wear out their welcome to me after a few listens. Not on this disc. These are really good songs, musically.
Fifth, we got to see them do lots of these songs live and so that adds a lot to the experience of listening to it on CD.
Lyrical snippets from Good Monsters:
“I have no fear of drowning/it’s the breathing that’s taking all the work”
Graceland
by Paul Simon
Well, what’s not to love about this cd? I added it to the list because it has so many great songs, You Can Call Me Al’s music video always brings a smile and just the reminder of it would be worth it to have along. Then again, the reality is, the longer you sit alone on a desert island the more isolated from the rest of the world you’d feel…listen to me, sounds like I have actually been stranded on a desert island before…is anyone actually reading this? Am I typing up my longest post ever only to have people skim through and read which discs are on my list and not reading my stirring prose?... skill testing question… 4 + 4 =___ post answer in comments and I’ll send you a bonus link!
Where was I?
Isolation brings forgetfulness and Graceland will bring back that I’m part of a far bigger world. What great music on this disc infused with South African musicians like those from Ladysmith Black Mombazo. Simon has a great time experimenting and making something new and old all at once.
Lyrical snippets from Graceland:
“These are the days of miracles and wonders, This is a long distance call, The way the camera follows us in slo-mo, The way we look to us all.” “Why am I soft in the middle, The rest of my life is so hard.” “He sees angels in the architecture, Spinning in infinity, And he says ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah’.” “You sure are the burden of my generation, I sure do love you, But let’s get that straight.”
The Joshua Tree
by U2
Okay, so is it a cop out to take what is likely one of the best selling and best known albums of all time on a desert island with you? I thought so. But. I’m not taking any other U2 and this one is just plain great. I love singing with Bono, sometimes it makes me cry, or feel like it. You can’t sing some of their words with his voice and not weep for the world, yourself, and sometimes for the very joy of life.
Lyrical snippets from The Joshua Tree:
“You got to cry without weeping, Talk without speaking, Scream without raising your voice.”
The Master and the Musician
by Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy has said that, based on awards he’s won, people are trying to tell him to close his mouth and play. Its his guitar work that has won him a great following, that and his gentle lyrics and simple, everyman persona.
On The Master and the Musician, Keaggy offers his guitar as a gift to the Master. The songs are soft yet complex, a real Medieval sound. I’m not a real classical or instrumental fan. I don’t claim to know how to appreciate instrumental music that well. One song sounds great to me. Two are great. A whole album and they start to blend together. The Master and the Musician doesn’t do that, to me. Every song is unique. It can just be in the background or you can close your eyes and soak in it. A beautiful offering from a master musician to the Master Creator.
Mr. Buechner’s Dream
by Daniel Amos
Where to begin. The album title I suppose. It directs us to the idea of the album but also the content if you know anything of Frederick Buechner. Terry Taylor, the lyricist for Daniel Amos takes us on his interpretation of what some of Mr. Buechner’s dreams must be like. He writes creative songs based on several characters from the Bible most of the rest explore the mystery of God being everywhere around us, leaving “Fingerprints around us and on our lives.
I got through one paragraph without mentioning that there are two discs and 33 songs! Many bands wouldn’t be able to do that in 3 albums. Oh, and mine is signed, number 87 for anyone who cares and who maybe has this classic at home.
The music holds quite a Beatles/British invasion era feel to it, though recorded in 2001.
The only time I ever met Terry Taylor I told him that I was inspired by his lyric writing to read a lot of books I’d never paid any attention to before. That was about all I said. I often wondered after if that was insulting, that it wasn’t his writing or even the Spirit that inspired me, it was other people’s writing. Maybe I’ll get another chance at the end of the week when I see him with The Lost Dogs in Detroit! Let it suffice to say here that I’d like to print out all the lyrics here from this disc but leave you with this link so you can look them up yourself if you want, and leave you with these few:
Lyrical snippets from Mr. Buechner’s Dream:
“It’s a miracle we ever had faith, enough to have a laugh in that face” (Sarah’s perspective), “They’re unaware they moved a mountain with fumbled prayers and bloodied knees”, “Who’s softly slipping down the stairs? Is someone sitting in that empty chair? Who’s moving the air and brushing my hair with their fingertips?”, “My beautiful Martyr in your crown of thorns, in your robe of fire, in your gown of scorn, you’re so beautiful, my beautiful martyr.” “And there may not ever be anything here new to say, but I’m fond of finding words that say it in a different way.” “Some wounds will never mend says The Author of the Story.”
Motorcycle
by Daniel Amos
So, I’ve just gone on and on about Terry Scott Taylor’s lyric writing when alphabetically I have to go into it again? (And next is another disc written mostly by him also…) Well, I won’t except to point out the difference between Mr. Buechner’s and Motorcycle. Motorcycle was released in 1993. The album cover is four panels of a fantastic painting incorporating the songs into one floating island at the edge of the world, or at the “World’s End” It’s mostly about the time when time will be no more. There are a few lyrics about hypocritical Christians and personal guilt, along with a couple of fantastical songs about his son and daughter. Motorcycle is a more glitzy production than Mr. Buechner’s Dream so it comes out more layered, complex and fun. The music is again Beatles influenced but has lots of other sounds going on too, Flaming Lips, Beach Boys, Wilco, have all been mentioned as influences or favourites for Taylor. The combination of Spirit, flesh, imagination, wordsmithing, parables and bluntness make this an absolute joy to listen to.
Lyrical snippets from Motorcycle:
“Couldn’t face the wrong in myself, so I condemned somebody else”, “The lunatic fringe by the Quackery, Miracle Sludge from the factory, Come to trouble the water, Angels and otters, Psychosomatics cleaning their attics-they learn, Grace is the smell of rain”, “She gets her just desserts, ‘cause the sky is in the pie, she wants her cake, she eats that too as the meringue clouds roll by”, “The truth would set them free, but no one there can see, the greatest enemy is the exclusivity of Wise Acres”
Nazarene Crying Towel
by The Lost Dogs
The liner notes tell a sad funny story of Terry Taylor grandmother who lived her days full of joy and sadness. When guilt or burdens hit her she would go into loud crying out sessions waving a towel over her head, unburdening her soul to her Saviour. This obviously made a lasting impression on a young Taylor. Years brought him from fear of these outbursts to tolerance to quiet laughter, but its from the heart’s longing for resolution of our pain and guilt and sadness and longing that Nazarene Crying Towel is drawn.
Many of these songs read like Psalms, quoting from the liner notes they, “they speak of the peaks and valleys indigenous to the temporarily earthbound, spiritual landscape we occupy in Christ.”
My favourite song from this cd (and I believe my dear wife’s too?) is Crushing Hand. It summarizes the disc in my mind.
Thy will move me
Thy will use me
You lay your crushing hand
Your mighty hand on me gently
You know my name
Wound me
You know my frame
Heal me…
These are folk-spiritual songs for regular folk. The songs are quiet (give or take Cry Out Loud) and thoughtful and gentle and deep in their simplicity.
Lyrical snippets from Nazarene Crying Towel:
“Like Moses in the desert, I have a stuttering tongue, But my friends were blinded by another god , the Lord said tell them, They will hear you, you’re my chosen one”, “Can’t take the fire but I’ll take a spark, if You come down here we can chase that dark”, “If shame haunts you look to Jesus He will pardon your every sin, How He loves us”
Play
by Moby
One of these discs is not like the other. Moby’s Play is just great music and fun lyrics mixed with depth and sadness and a tip of the hat to gospel and blues songs of the first part of last century. Sampling has been done for quite a while now, but rarely as well or consistently from as far back in recorded music history as Moby does with Play. What a sentence that was… I hope it works! Techno blues gospel. Great mix. I love Honey, Why Does my Heart, South Side, Natural Blues, Run On.
Lyrical snippets from Play:
This album is all about the music, but the lyrics are pretty great in some places. The best snippets though are Moby’s random musings in the liner notes, which, though I don’t agree with some of what he has to say there, give pause.
Sticks and Stones
By The 77’s
I almost forgot about this one as I was making my list because I don’t have it on cd, only cassette, well I do have it on a burned cd somewhere, but it hasn’t made it onto iTunes yet. Thankfully, I remembered before it was too late (its currently Saturday afternoon as I type this, still time to make revisions).
I have to have something by The 77’s first off, and I’m sure going to miss not having their classic song, The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life, but pound for pound, Sticks and Stones is my favourite by far.
When this was originally released it was a bunch of unreleased songs from their catalogue, songs that didn’t seem to fit any of their previous three releases. Album four turned out to be the 77’s at the top of their game. Mike Roe as a lyricist often comes across as a man dealing with love and regret. That is never more apparent so consistently as on Sticks and Stones. Standout songs include God Sends Quails, my personal favourite and Don’t This Way which many people say is the best 7’s song of all. The liner notes say Don’t This Way is the saddest song they’ve ever heard. They might just be right.
Lyrical snippets from Sticks and Stones:
“You failed, you picked the right time to fail, got your past behind you, got your future in front of you, one foot drags behind you, one foot tripping in front of you.” “You can’t have love without dreams and you’ve got to have some dreams this side of paradise”,
We Like to Have Christmas
by The Lost Dogs
Again, you can never have enough Christmas music and this one has a few classics around our house, including “Fruitcake” and "Little Babe in the Straw". Adding to the history of this album is that my dear wife and I saw The Lost Dogs at Christmas a couple of times and enjoyed their banter as a lead up to that season. Of all seasons of the year, The Lost Dogs are best suited to Christmas because of the wonder and depth they bring to their lyrics and it comes out well on this disc. That and good old-fashioned fun on some songs. Oh, my dear wife can listen to Derri Daugherty sing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas over and over too.
Lyrical snippets from We Like to have Christmas:
“Here’s a song, here’s a sigh for the day after Christmas” “The wisemen aren’t so smart all they can do is hibernate and dream there in the dark of the countless trips to Bethlehem and one they’ll make again, but most time they’ll spend in boxes where the starlight can’t get in” “Little babe in the straw, save us all” “ oh what in the world’s that green thing there, is that some kind of gel, a ginsu knife can’t cut through that…like a chain letter from the devil hisself”
When it came down to it, I had to decide which album would I not want to never hear again. This was very difficult. On our iTunes list we have over 4000 songs, 170 days plus worth of music. That’s a long list to narrow down. As soon as I publish this, there’s going to be 10 more I realize I’d rather have than some of these. Part of the fun of lists like these is in the second-guessing.
I wanted to make number 15 a burned disc of all the songs I wouldn’t be taking that I wanted to take, but that seemed like another post for another day.
Without further ado, here’s my list, alphabetical order.
Chagall Guevara
by Chagall Guevara
What an album. This one is so sad and raw and angry and hopeful all at once. What a great disc. Chagall Guevara was Steve Taylor, David Perkins, Lynn Nichols, Mike Mead and Wade Jaynes. A great lineup of players and too many personalities for one band. Apparently. They only recorded this one disc, but it remains a top of the list favourite for many people. This cd will sear your heart. If you will let it. Let the lyrics grip you.
Lyrical snippets from Chagall Guevara:
"Every other week on visiting day, I get tolerated by his new wife, I swear, if he ever really held me, They'd have to pry me off with the jaws of life" "My agenda was hidden well, Now I don't know where I left it" "All of us Neros fanning ourselves
Damp with the sweat of regret, Just killing time with our eyes to the skies, Waiting on science our savior" "Hey, don't I know you from some other life? You were wide-eyed and green, And a little bit taller, And you didn't look away, When spoken to"
Chase the Kangaroo-
by the choir ( no capitals is their fault, not mine)
I had to have something by the choir. Many of their fans find their earliest phase to be their favourite and this album is their fourth in the 6 album first phase. Its full of fantastic writing by Steve “Skinny” Hindalong and interesting sound combinations of keyboard, saxophone, lyricon, jangling guitars, musical bass and varied percussion. Over all this is Derri Daugherty’s shockingly sweet voice. The liner notes are worth the price of admission alone, for the lyrics, but also for the side bar comments explaining where some of the more obscure lyrics come from and glimpses into the recording process.
There are songs about love here. Songs of worship based on the Psalms. There are songs of life and spirituality and loss and the awesomeness of God. There are songs about the struggle to make art and balancing that with financial concerns. It also has one of my favourite songs, “Chase the Kangaroo” which has always been a mysterious, fun song because you know there’s a depth there that goes beyond the silly “Bugs Bunny dug to China, I guess I’ll go down under” line.
A bonus to taking this cd is that it also includes the CD Shades of Gray a 5 song ep released after their first cd, well, record/cassette back then. It has another of my favourite choir songs, “Fifteen Doors” since it reminds me of the only time I’ve seen the choir live back in 1990 in Toronto.
The first song is simply called “Consider” and that sets the tone for the whole disk. So much to think about and to mull over, still mulling over it 22 years later, well I guess I only heard it 20 years ago for the first time.
Lyrical snippets from Chase the Kangaroo:
“The cosmonauts were first in space/ to search for God and find no trace/ with a killer cloud of reason for rhyme/ the devil enlightens the children of time.”
Other standout songs include “So Far Away”, “Cain”, and “Sad Face”
Collective Soul
by Collective Soul
Collective Soul leapt to prominence with “Shine” from Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, well, I guess it came earlier than that, but got re-released on that CD. I’m only saying this so no one will post and try to correct me. Anyway.
“Shine”. It’s why I love Collective Soul. Not their song, though I do like it too. It’s what they do, as far as I can tell. Either they’ve got some clever gimmick going to draw a wider audience or they’ve got some very spiritual message to deliver. Shine is what they do. They’ve been signed to major labels throughout the years, got lots of play on regular radio and MTV/MuchMusic, and yet, hidden in front of your eyes, or there in your ears, is the message of love and hope and redemption and mercy and grace and God, that is nearly the whole Christian message. I say nearly, because they don’t refer to Jesus very often and certainly not very plainly. Yet, they shout, sometimes scream his acts, his heart to a world in despairing need of that message. I always remember someone telling me they first came to Christianity through the questions being asked by the Moody Blues back in the 70’s. Similarly, Collective Soul asks and sometimes answers the questions that we all need to ask.
I chose “Collective Soul” as a desert island disc because it has a few more songs on it that I love than any other, especially, “The World I Know” (please follow the link to see a music video of this song, this was the video that first got me listening to Collective Soul.)
I know that music snobs sometimes look down their noses at Collective Soul as being pretty much the same thing all the time and pretty straightforward musically, but I like it. Don’t know why really, but I’m not alone.
Lyrical snippets from Collective Soul
“Cleansing out your tarnished heart/ its simple”. “Confine me in walls of truth/cause love does what love should do/No more sentence all of my pain has been freed/ Why should this end when your mercy is all I need.” “She gathers rain/ To wash away all her guilt and pain/ she gathers rain/she gathers rain/To wash and cleanse and make her whole again.” “Resonate tones of saving grace/Separate from the gods of hate/Alleviate all our doubting ways.”
Essential Johnny Cash
by Johnny Cash
Who doesn’t like Johnny?
“Blistered”, “Busted”, “ Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station”, “Daddy Sang Bass”,
“Dirty old Egg-Sucking Dog, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”, “I got Stripes”, “Jackson”, “Ring of Fire”, “The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer”, “The Rebel-Johnny Yuma”, Something for every minute of every day.
Furthermore: From the Stage and From the Studio
by Jars of Clay
Only one, no, two reasons why this one makes the list… “Love Song for a Savior”. My dear wife gave me this song before we were married, okay before we were engaged, okay, before I even knew I loved her to let me know where she was. I guess it helped me to confirm where I was. Makes us stop and listen every time it comes through the speakers.
Furthermore also has “Dig” on it, and though I prefer the original by the late great and much missed Gene Eugene, and his band Adam Again, I just appreciate that the Jars of Clay boys recorded it and let it reach a far broader audience than Adam Again had.
Lyrical snippets from Furthermore:
“Though the pain is an ocean/Tossing us around, around, around/ You have calmed greater waters/ Higher mountains have come down.” “The earth is hard, but the treasure is fine/ at the sea, I’ll wait on my knees”
Good Monsters
by Jars of Clay
I don’t know why I really like this album so well. Its hard to nail it down. Maybe it’s the combination of things, sum of the parts in this case adding up to something greater than something or other…
First its risky. There are lyrical things here that are risk taking. To make your first single have as its most memorable line “I’m just a dead man/lying on the carpet/Can’t find a heartbeat” is pretty risky. People seemed to get that one though since the song got lots of radio airplay. It also has the song “Oh My God” which could be taken in the wrong way through careless listening. There are risky musical things too. There’s a little more aggression here than on most Jars releases. Not that I know all their cds at this point. So maybe I’m wrong, it just comes across pretty bold.
Second its honest. There are so many good thoughts and honest self assessments, awareness of human frailty and our times. This is not really new or unique for Jars of Clay, but it’s a strong point in this recording.
Third, its gentle. This is a part of what makes Jars unique I think, that in the boldness and raw honesty, there is a gentleness available near the surface. See the stellar Julie Miller tune they cover for a good example, “All My Tears”.
Fourth, it’s the best Jars of Clay have ever sounded instrumentally, well, again, best from what I know of them. They’ve got so many good songs in their history, but so many of them sound so similar and wear out their welcome to me after a few listens. Not on this disc. These are really good songs, musically.
Fifth, we got to see them do lots of these songs live and so that adds a lot to the experience of listening to it on CD.
Lyrical snippets from Good Monsters:
“I have no fear of drowning/it’s the breathing that’s taking all the work”
Graceland
by Paul Simon
Well, what’s not to love about this cd? I added it to the list because it has so many great songs, You Can Call Me Al’s music video always brings a smile and just the reminder of it would be worth it to have along. Then again, the reality is, the longer you sit alone on a desert island the more isolated from the rest of the world you’d feel…listen to me, sounds like I have actually been stranded on a desert island before…is anyone actually reading this? Am I typing up my longest post ever only to have people skim through and read which discs are on my list and not reading my stirring prose?... skill testing question… 4 + 4 =___ post answer in comments and I’ll send you a bonus link!
Where was I?
Isolation brings forgetfulness and Graceland will bring back that I’m part of a far bigger world. What great music on this disc infused with South African musicians like those from Ladysmith Black Mombazo. Simon has a great time experimenting and making something new and old all at once.
Lyrical snippets from Graceland:
“These are the days of miracles and wonders, This is a long distance call, The way the camera follows us in slo-mo, The way we look to us all.” “Why am I soft in the middle, The rest of my life is so hard.” “He sees angels in the architecture, Spinning in infinity, And he says ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah’.” “You sure are the burden of my generation, I sure do love you, But let’s get that straight.”
The Joshua Tree
by U2
Okay, so is it a cop out to take what is likely one of the best selling and best known albums of all time on a desert island with you? I thought so. But. I’m not taking any other U2 and this one is just plain great. I love singing with Bono, sometimes it makes me cry, or feel like it. You can’t sing some of their words with his voice and not weep for the world, yourself, and sometimes for the very joy of life.
Lyrical snippets from The Joshua Tree:
“You got to cry without weeping, Talk without speaking, Scream without raising your voice.”
The Master and the Musician
by Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy has said that, based on awards he’s won, people are trying to tell him to close his mouth and play. Its his guitar work that has won him a great following, that and his gentle lyrics and simple, everyman persona.
On The Master and the Musician, Keaggy offers his guitar as a gift to the Master. The songs are soft yet complex, a real Medieval sound. I’m not a real classical or instrumental fan. I don’t claim to know how to appreciate instrumental music that well. One song sounds great to me. Two are great. A whole album and they start to blend together. The Master and the Musician doesn’t do that, to me. Every song is unique. It can just be in the background or you can close your eyes and soak in it. A beautiful offering from a master musician to the Master Creator.
Mr. Buechner’s Dream
by Daniel Amos
Where to begin. The album title I suppose. It directs us to the idea of the album but also the content if you know anything of Frederick Buechner. Terry Taylor, the lyricist for Daniel Amos takes us on his interpretation of what some of Mr. Buechner’s dreams must be like. He writes creative songs based on several characters from the Bible most of the rest explore the mystery of God being everywhere around us, leaving “Fingerprints around us and on our lives.
I got through one paragraph without mentioning that there are two discs and 33 songs! Many bands wouldn’t be able to do that in 3 albums. Oh, and mine is signed, number 87 for anyone who cares and who maybe has this classic at home.
The music holds quite a Beatles/British invasion era feel to it, though recorded in 2001.
The only time I ever met Terry Taylor I told him that I was inspired by his lyric writing to read a lot of books I’d never paid any attention to before. That was about all I said. I often wondered after if that was insulting, that it wasn’t his writing or even the Spirit that inspired me, it was other people’s writing. Maybe I’ll get another chance at the end of the week when I see him with The Lost Dogs in Detroit! Let it suffice to say here that I’d like to print out all the lyrics here from this disc but leave you with this link so you can look them up yourself if you want, and leave you with these few:
Lyrical snippets from Mr. Buechner’s Dream:
“It’s a miracle we ever had faith, enough to have a laugh in that face” (Sarah’s perspective), “They’re unaware they moved a mountain with fumbled prayers and bloodied knees”, “Who’s softly slipping down the stairs? Is someone sitting in that empty chair? Who’s moving the air and brushing my hair with their fingertips?”, “My beautiful Martyr in your crown of thorns, in your robe of fire, in your gown of scorn, you’re so beautiful, my beautiful martyr.” “And there may not ever be anything here new to say, but I’m fond of finding words that say it in a different way.” “Some wounds will never mend says The Author of the Story.”
Motorcycle
by Daniel Amos
So, I’ve just gone on and on about Terry Scott Taylor’s lyric writing when alphabetically I have to go into it again? (And next is another disc written mostly by him also…) Well, I won’t except to point out the difference between Mr. Buechner’s and Motorcycle. Motorcycle was released in 1993. The album cover is four panels of a fantastic painting incorporating the songs into one floating island at the edge of the world, or at the “World’s End” It’s mostly about the time when time will be no more. There are a few lyrics about hypocritical Christians and personal guilt, along with a couple of fantastical songs about his son and daughter. Motorcycle is a more glitzy production than Mr. Buechner’s Dream so it comes out more layered, complex and fun. The music is again Beatles influenced but has lots of other sounds going on too, Flaming Lips, Beach Boys, Wilco, have all been mentioned as influences or favourites for Taylor. The combination of Spirit, flesh, imagination, wordsmithing, parables and bluntness make this an absolute joy to listen to.
Lyrical snippets from Motorcycle:
“Couldn’t face the wrong in myself, so I condemned somebody else”, “The lunatic fringe by the Quackery, Miracle Sludge from the factory, Come to trouble the water, Angels and otters, Psychosomatics cleaning their attics-they learn, Grace is the smell of rain”, “She gets her just desserts, ‘cause the sky is in the pie, she wants her cake, she eats that too as the meringue clouds roll by”, “The truth would set them free, but no one there can see, the greatest enemy is the exclusivity of Wise Acres”
Nazarene Crying Towel
by The Lost Dogs
The liner notes tell a sad funny story of Terry Taylor grandmother who lived her days full of joy and sadness. When guilt or burdens hit her she would go into loud crying out sessions waving a towel over her head, unburdening her soul to her Saviour. This obviously made a lasting impression on a young Taylor. Years brought him from fear of these outbursts to tolerance to quiet laughter, but its from the heart’s longing for resolution of our pain and guilt and sadness and longing that Nazarene Crying Towel is drawn.
Many of these songs read like Psalms, quoting from the liner notes they, “they speak of the peaks and valleys indigenous to the temporarily earthbound, spiritual landscape we occupy in Christ.”
My favourite song from this cd (and I believe my dear wife’s too?) is Crushing Hand. It summarizes the disc in my mind.
Thy will move me
Thy will use me
You lay your crushing hand
Your mighty hand on me gently
You know my name
Wound me
You know my frame
Heal me…
These are folk-spiritual songs for regular folk. The songs are quiet (give or take Cry Out Loud) and thoughtful and gentle and deep in their simplicity.
Lyrical snippets from Nazarene Crying Towel:
“Like Moses in the desert, I have a stuttering tongue, But my friends were blinded by another god , the Lord said tell them, They will hear you, you’re my chosen one”, “Can’t take the fire but I’ll take a spark, if You come down here we can chase that dark”, “If shame haunts you look to Jesus He will pardon your every sin, How He loves us”
Play
by Moby
One of these discs is not like the other. Moby’s Play is just great music and fun lyrics mixed with depth and sadness and a tip of the hat to gospel and blues songs of the first part of last century. Sampling has been done for quite a while now, but rarely as well or consistently from as far back in recorded music history as Moby does with Play. What a sentence that was… I hope it works! Techno blues gospel. Great mix. I love Honey, Why Does my Heart, South Side, Natural Blues, Run On.
Lyrical snippets from Play:
This album is all about the music, but the lyrics are pretty great in some places. The best snippets though are Moby’s random musings in the liner notes, which, though I don’t agree with some of what he has to say there, give pause.
Sticks and Stones
By The 77’s
I almost forgot about this one as I was making my list because I don’t have it on cd, only cassette, well I do have it on a burned cd somewhere, but it hasn’t made it onto iTunes yet. Thankfully, I remembered before it was too late (its currently Saturday afternoon as I type this, still time to make revisions).
I have to have something by The 77’s first off, and I’m sure going to miss not having their classic song, The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life, but pound for pound, Sticks and Stones is my favourite by far.
When this was originally released it was a bunch of unreleased songs from their catalogue, songs that didn’t seem to fit any of their previous three releases. Album four turned out to be the 77’s at the top of their game. Mike Roe as a lyricist often comes across as a man dealing with love and regret. That is never more apparent so consistently as on Sticks and Stones. Standout songs include God Sends Quails, my personal favourite and Don’t This Way which many people say is the best 7’s song of all. The liner notes say Don’t This Way is the saddest song they’ve ever heard. They might just be right.
Lyrical snippets from Sticks and Stones:
“You failed, you picked the right time to fail, got your past behind you, got your future in front of you, one foot drags behind you, one foot tripping in front of you.” “You can’t have love without dreams and you’ve got to have some dreams this side of paradise”,
We Like to Have Christmas
by The Lost Dogs
Again, you can never have enough Christmas music and this one has a few classics around our house, including “Fruitcake” and "Little Babe in the Straw". Adding to the history of this album is that my dear wife and I saw The Lost Dogs at Christmas a couple of times and enjoyed their banter as a lead up to that season. Of all seasons of the year, The Lost Dogs are best suited to Christmas because of the wonder and depth they bring to their lyrics and it comes out well on this disc. That and good old-fashioned fun on some songs. Oh, my dear wife can listen to Derri Daugherty sing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas over and over too.
Lyrical snippets from We Like to have Christmas:
“Here’s a song, here’s a sigh for the day after Christmas” “The wisemen aren’t so smart all they can do is hibernate and dream there in the dark of the countless trips to Bethlehem and one they’ll make again, but most time they’ll spend in boxes where the starlight can’t get in” “Little babe in the straw, save us all” “ oh what in the world’s that green thing there, is that some kind of gel, a ginsu knife can’t cut through that…like a chain letter from the devil hisself”
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I guess there was no mistake after all.
I thought God made a mistake. I was mistaken. See, I thought he was supposed to be looking after our family, making everything wonderful and blessed and fullfilled and joyful and well, I started thinking it was supposed to be the American Dream. I even forgot I wasn't American for a minute! Then I realized that that wasn't his job. Well, not completely. I forgot I was in a process of growth that began at birth and will end at sanctification, in heaven. I'm likely only half way through that process, though I may be 90% done, who knows, oh, yeah, other than God... I digress.
Then it happened.
I realized the truth. He loves me. He wants me to grow in faith. I have to go through trials to do that. If I don't go through stuff, I won't grow. I've begun to imagine Him watching me. Smiling as I fall off my bike, gently breaking the fall even. He smiles as I mispronounce my words. Laughs at the things I know to be true but are based on something I saw on a cartoon. Laughs again as I put my shirt on backward for the fourth time this week.
He's not laughing at me though.
He smiles because last year I only rode a tricycle. Two years ago I couldn't talk at all. Laughs because even though I don't remember my facts correctly, at least I'm remembering things and getting a chance to learn it for real. Last week, I put my shirt on backward 7 days in a row. I think I'm failing. He sees me grow. I don't see where I'm going, that there are motorcycles, speeches, books, tuxedo's all in the future. He does. And He smiles. And He lets me try again.
Then it happened.
I realized the truth. He loves me. He wants me to grow in faith. I have to go through trials to do that. If I don't go through stuff, I won't grow. I've begun to imagine Him watching me. Smiling as I fall off my bike, gently breaking the fall even. He smiles as I mispronounce my words. Laughs at the things I know to be true but are based on something I saw on a cartoon. Laughs again as I put my shirt on backward for the fourth time this week.
He's not laughing at me though.
He smiles because last year I only rode a tricycle. Two years ago I couldn't talk at all. Laughs because even though I don't remember my facts correctly, at least I'm remembering things and getting a chance to learn it for real. Last week, I put my shirt on backward 7 days in a row. I think I'm failing. He sees me grow. I don't see where I'm going, that there are motorcycles, speeches, books, tuxedo's all in the future. He does. And He smiles. And He lets me try again.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Desert Island Albums
May 17th a growing group of bloggers will be posting their list of "Desert Island" albums, those they would take with them if they knew they'd be stranded on that proverbial deserted island. 15 in all, post as creatively as you'd like. Join the fun!
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
When words and actions don't line up
We’re in a stupor.
We lose our passion. We stop thinking realistically, not in the moment at all. Then we stop thinking. Period. We don’t address our own spiritual desires and failures because we don’t address anything. We sit in the pew, the same one we sat in last week. The perfectly contoured rut in the padded seat is a fitting symbol of the rut in our spiritual life. We barely listen. We make brief mental assent to the thought provoking points but soon shut down our brains again.
Here’s an example. We say we believe in gravity, that we’ll die if we step off a high place and that we don’t want to die. Then we step off. Why? Are we lying? Insane?
We say we believe God’s Word is true. We say we don’t want to sin, that we love him enough to sacrifice for him. We say we expect consequences to be bad for us if we rebel against his word, but still we rebel. Why? Are we lying or insane? I think it’s neither. We’re disconnected from reality. We’re in a stupor. Which is bad enough but worse, we don’t know how to get it back.
Until Dad had a heart attack, I would say things like, “I need to eat better,” or, “I need to lose twenty pounds.” But, that was only lip-service, my way of saying, “Since I acknowledge the truth, I now am given a grace period to do nothing about it.” Saying it makes me think that other people now think I’m doing something about it.
Romans 11 says its unbelief that does it.
We don’t believe in -the power of God
-the Word as Truth
-our gifting
-spiritual life
-God’s existence
So, believe. It’s a mental process. But it also includes actions, actions speak louder than words, they back up what we say we believe. James tells us that over and over again.
We lose our passion. We stop thinking realistically, not in the moment at all. Then we stop thinking. Period. We don’t address our own spiritual desires and failures because we don’t address anything. We sit in the pew, the same one we sat in last week. The perfectly contoured rut in the padded seat is a fitting symbol of the rut in our spiritual life. We barely listen. We make brief mental assent to the thought provoking points but soon shut down our brains again.
Here’s an example. We say we believe in gravity, that we’ll die if we step off a high place and that we don’t want to die. Then we step off. Why? Are we lying? Insane?
We say we believe God’s Word is true. We say we don’t want to sin, that we love him enough to sacrifice for him. We say we expect consequences to be bad for us if we rebel against his word, but still we rebel. Why? Are we lying or insane? I think it’s neither. We’re disconnected from reality. We’re in a stupor. Which is bad enough but worse, we don’t know how to get it back.
Until Dad had a heart attack, I would say things like, “I need to eat better,” or, “I need to lose twenty pounds.” But, that was only lip-service, my way of saying, “Since I acknowledge the truth, I now am given a grace period to do nothing about it.” Saying it makes me think that other people now think I’m doing something about it.
Romans 11 says its unbelief that does it.
We don’t believe in -the power of God
-the Word as Truth
-our gifting
-spiritual life
-God’s existence
So, believe. It’s a mental process. But it also includes actions, actions speak louder than words, they back up what we say we believe. James tells us that over and over again.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
David Adams Richards' "God is"
Well as I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I've been looking forward to reading this book and I finally got to do just that.
Let me say this first because it must be said and I want to get it out of the way. I found the writing to be quite unclear and repetitive at times.
There, enough about that.
Otherwise, I think Richards did a great thing here. In a culture that is increasingly breaking down the barriers between audience and performer, Richards has let us into his life like a memoir focused on his spiritual life.
I thought his tactic of focusing on God's existence because we see that there are things wrong in the world to be an intriguing way of looking at things.
The first part of his book deals with how the academic elite he's had the opportunity, or more often challege, to deal with are as closed minded as the religion they condemn in their classrooms. (I kept thinking how ironic it was that I was introduced to David Adams Richards at the University of Ottawa). He made a very good point that refusing to talk about things does not make them go away.
He also talked a lot about violence. He really challenges us to think about how violent we are even though we don't actively participate. Mob mentality, violent speech, etc., are addressed in the book and I don't ever remember reading anything like it anywhere, even in more obviously spiritual books (anything from Zondervan or Tyndale, I mean.)
The main thing I get from the book is that Richards really is passionate about both his own spirituality and vitriolic against people's lack of respect for those who dare to have faith.
All in all, its a good background to Richards fiction, giving insight as to where he's coming from with some of his more complex characters he's written over the years but also a good addition to the "Is he or isn't he" debate that's going on in Canada over the past few years.
Let me say this first because it must be said and I want to get it out of the way. I found the writing to be quite unclear and repetitive at times.
There, enough about that.
Otherwise, I think Richards did a great thing here. In a culture that is increasingly breaking down the barriers between audience and performer, Richards has let us into his life like a memoir focused on his spiritual life.
I thought his tactic of focusing on God's existence because we see that there are things wrong in the world to be an intriguing way of looking at things.
The first part of his book deals with how the academic elite he's had the opportunity, or more often challege, to deal with are as closed minded as the religion they condemn in their classrooms. (I kept thinking how ironic it was that I was introduced to David Adams Richards at the University of Ottawa). He made a very good point that refusing to talk about things does not make them go away.
He also talked a lot about violence. He really challenges us to think about how violent we are even though we don't actively participate. Mob mentality, violent speech, etc., are addressed in the book and I don't ever remember reading anything like it anywhere, even in more obviously spiritual books (anything from Zondervan or Tyndale, I mean.)
The main thing I get from the book is that Richards really is passionate about both his own spirituality and vitriolic against people's lack of respect for those who dare to have faith.
All in all, its a good background to Richards fiction, giving insight as to where he's coming from with some of his more complex characters he's written over the years but also a good addition to the "Is he or isn't he" debate that's going on in Canada over the past few years.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Help me find out who this is!
This guys been at our feeder the last couple of days... any ideas anyone? Almost like a small cowbird!
Friday, March 12, 2010
God is There
I'm eagerly anticipating reading a book by one of my favourite... make that my only favourite, Canadian author. David Adams Richards writes from north-eastern New Brunswick but writes about humanity. He has recently published a book called "God is". Simple but thought provoking and I've only read the front cover so far. I'm in the queue at the library and getting to the top of the list. Apparently there are more David Adams Richards fans out there than I knew. This is not a post about that book.
Its more about country music.
Yesterday I got some unexpected news affecting our future. Not bad, just unexpected. It got me wondering. I do that now and then. Wondering what was next, mostly.
Post-haste from that point to a free concert with Diamond Rio. We walked in a couple of minutes late, just in time to hear "Beautiful Mess" begin, and Sabrina and I both had to acknowledge that the song was written about our lives. From there they soon launched into a song reminding us that "God is there". Now sadly at this same time a woman right behind us collapsed and was taken out by a nurse in a wheelchair and the juxtaposition of that situation with the words of the song literally made me cry. I had to close my eyes and soak in the wonder of God. He was there when a woman faced a medical crisis and He was there as I faced the struggle of what next fall should look like. Through it all, God is. God is there. Don't forget it. I'm talking to me.
Its more about country music.
Yesterday I got some unexpected news affecting our future. Not bad, just unexpected. It got me wondering. I do that now and then. Wondering what was next, mostly.
Post-haste from that point to a free concert with Diamond Rio. We walked in a couple of minutes late, just in time to hear "Beautiful Mess" begin, and Sabrina and I both had to acknowledge that the song was written about our lives. From there they soon launched into a song reminding us that "God is there". Now sadly at this same time a woman right behind us collapsed and was taken out by a nurse in a wheelchair and the juxtaposition of that situation with the words of the song literally made me cry. I had to close my eyes and soak in the wonder of God. He was there when a woman faced a medical crisis and He was there as I faced the struggle of what next fall should look like. Through it all, God is. God is there. Don't forget it. I'm talking to me.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
My Dad
In honour of your upcoming bypass surgery, I thought I'd tell the whole world.
You're the best man I know.
You're the best man I know.
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