It's a happy second birthday to The 'Spill - over 2,500 posts and tens of thousands of comments!
'Spillers rule. 100%. You guys never cease to surprise and amaze me.
But rather than any of the usual back-slapping, I think we should take about music ("wha, like we don't anyway, all the time??!!")
I went with my pal to see Withered Hand just before Christmas at a Fence Records gig. During the interval, after WH had played, we tried to contextualise and intellectualise the music that had just been performed (we were blown away).
I tried to put my finger on the transcendental, almost spiritual quality that WH's songs have. He was raised in a very religious, almost cult like, environment - but has since renounced it - but oddly his music has retained some vestiges of that.
Frankie said that he was singing "atheist hymns" and he was quite spot-on with the description.
Is "Religious Songs" by Withered Hand one of my religious songs?
Do we fill the god-shaped hole with music?
What's the root of our obsession?
Why do some people buy one cd a year from Tesco when I buy records despite the fact that there's holes in my shoes?
Happy big 2, The 'Spill - here's to the toddling years!
59 comments:
i know this post is half an hour early, but i may need my bed quite soon...
Happy 2nd birthday, indeed!! Thanks, Blimpy, for this refuge from the uglier side of the interweb.
For me music is (corny, I know) the soundtrack to my life. There are songs that actually help me to remember happy and sad times more vividly. There are songs that will pick me up no matter how low I'm feeling. There are others that will evoke places I've been to and others that will make me want to go to places I've never been. There are those that make the traffic jams I have to suffer more bearable and still more that make me want to dance, run, skip or jump. They don't fill a void in my life. They are an intrinsic part of it. There are songs I have loved for thirty or more years that I hope to be around in thirty years' time to continue enjoying. There are also hundreds I haven't even heard yet that will no doubt come to mean just as much for me. A life without music would be no life at all.
Co-incidentally, I've been listening to Darrel Scott a lot the last few weeks trying to decide how much of him I like. I ran across his name on an Americana blog, and he's talented. But I started noticing a lot of his songs were about Christ (album titles like The Invisible Man and Modern Hymns shoulda been a tip) and turned off. But then I moved him from Americana to gospel and have been impressed anew. Haven't made up my mind enough to do a full post, which Blimpy's post makes it topical now.
Here's There's A Stone Around My Bell.
Abahachi, where are you? It's a Sisyphusian song, and I know you love those.
Happy birthday 'Spill.
And, sorry to threadjack this...but the new RR subject is Rivers. I can't get on, though. Can anybody?
Me neither.
Nor me and I have a nasty cold so I'm going to bed. Bagsy Muddy Waters "They call me Muddy Waters".
Well, I know lists are frowned upon. But I'm quite excited about the topic, and I have a short list, and I'm up 5 hours behind everybody else...
If anybody has the inclination, and they don't fix the problem till the middle of the night, if you could post this...
Got to Cross River Jordan – Blind Willie McTell
The River – Bruce Springsteen
Proud Mary – CCR
River of Jordan – Carter Family
Blue River – Jack Teagarden
Travelling Riverside Blues – Robert Johnson
Down By the Riverside – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Misery is the River of the World – Tom Waits
Morgan Heritage – Down By the River
Trench town– Bob Marley
Ol MAN RIVER - SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS !!!!!
As you can tell, I feel quite strongly about Screamin Jay's Ol Man RIver...
And Akron/Family
Antony and the Johnsons "River of Sorrow"
Oh, and Harlem River Drive - BObby Humphrey. I know it's a road, but it goes along a river, right?
Anybody got PaulMac's mobile no? I claim 'Green River', CCR, and ''River Deep, Mountain High', Mr and Mrs Turner...
Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt "Ganges Delta Blues"
Mali Mississippi by NWT - not really about a river but it names one. (I know there's a river Mali in Myanmar but I don't think Nico had it in mind!)
Yellow River by Christie - or was that about bed-wetting?! (Or worse)
And 'Many Rivers To Cross', Jimmy Cliff
OK, I realise that lists are increasingly frowned upon, but given that:
(i) the topic is known, but the comments aren't open yet; and
(ii) I need sleep more than I need to justify these before Monday,
then I'm afraid a list is what you're gonna get for now. They are all still recommended (or donded, natch) by yours truly:
Very first thought:
Chris Rea - Steel River.
Obvious, but what the hell:
Gerry & The Pacemakers - Ferry 'Cross The Mersey
Here we go again:
Dolorean - Hannibal, MO
FLoating Bridge - Sleepy John Estes. Oh boy oh boy oh boy, I've been wanting to nominate this for fucking ages!!!! This is killing me!!
Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) - Bessie Smith
I emailed the tech support or whatever it is, but I'm sure they won't fix it till tomorrow. Sigh.
Nothing's Happening By The Sea - Chris Rea
For the line "Salty river runs into the bay" and as any Saltburn boy would know he's singing about my home town where...nothing happens! (His dad had a chain of cafés called Rea's of Saltburn and that sort of backs up my theory).
DOnds in advance for Ferry across the Mersey and Jimmy Cliff
Forgot Slidin' Delta - Mississippi John Hurt.
Ah, there you all are. Will pre-dond Dolorean, DsD (is that a 1st?).
Happy birthday, The 'Spill, thanks first and foremost to Blimpy for giving us a permanent house, and to everyone else for making it a home.
As regards the topic, could I have, if I'm asleep by then:
Pixies - River Euphrates.
Swans - The River That Runs With Love Will Not Run Dry.
Richard Marx - The River. Couldn't resist.
2 more pre-donds for Carole - Pixies & Swans.
Oh, and donds to 'Misery Is The River Of The World'. I got to see the Wilson/Waits production of 'Woyczek' from which this comes, and the version played at the stage version was actually way better than the released version, and I have a cassette from a smuggled in Walkman to prove it!
Bah! Steen even gets in 1st with possibly the 1st pre-donds. You can go off on people you know.
Prince "The Holy River"
And now I really am going to bed.
Goodnight all
'Oh, Shenandoah' - Trad. Arr., but I'm going to be contoversial and nom the 'Brooooce Springsteen' version (from his Pete Seeger tribute)...
I've sent the techies userhelp@guardian.co.uk an email. Don't know if it will help.
Mnemonic's Muddy reminded me of Nick Cave's cover of another that I've Spilled at least once & may again.
Um, I've put "Till the rivers all run dry" on the spotify, so, under these circumstances, that is a nomination of sorts...
Also Marah - It's only money, Tyrone.
More to come if / when the site is open for comment again, and nobody else gets them first (two big ifs, I guess). It's 2 a.m. and I feel dumb for staying up for this, so I'll do the only sensible thing one can do under these circumstances, and go have a drink or two. See you all!
erm, sorry Catcher for calling you Carole. I blame:
My fading eyesight
the beer
Steve Jobs
Even bigger apology to Carole.
I'll throw a nom in for Radiohead's 'How To Disappear Completely' for the line 'I float down the Liffey', just cos it's nice to hear dear dirty old Dublin's river mentioned in a song that isn't about hating the English.
Shoey, it happens all the time, and it's the bane of Carole's life. Damn my high cheekbones!
I forgot to put RIver Euphrates in my list! BIg big donds, Catcher. And big donds for Shenandoah, Williamsbach!!!
I'd also like to nominate Roamin in the GLoamin, by the man who wrote it, Sir Harry Lauder.
And Legionaire's Lament - Decemberists
I've been adding stuff to the Collabo, too, so I guess that's the best we can do for official nominations tonight.
That's all well and good, but where is the bemulleted Richard Marx love? Shall I have to resort to posting a YouTube link? Who? Me? Drinking? What do you mean, it was funnier in my head?
I also put Moon River - Harry Mancini
and
Run Softly, Blue RIver - Johnny Cash in the spotify.
Oh, I put By the Rivers of Babylon, by the Melodians in as well.
Did anybody hear what Glen Beck said about the Ganges? Ignorant evil asshole.
can some kind person put these in the mixer? ta
take me to the river - talking heads
cry me a river -ella fitzgerald
flow liffey waters - wolfe tones - lovely song by tremendous band who kick outsome great rebel songs
Oh, for the love of Pete, I forgot...
Cuyahoga - REM
Glen Beck said the Ganges is an ignorant evil asshole?
Oh, and 'If The River Was Whiskey And I Was A Diving Duck', Charlie Poole. I'd dive to the bottom, never would come up. Doing that right now, actually - nice 1990 Cooper's Choice from Mortlach...
just joshing btw steen- can you chuck in "River Jordan" by Sugar Minott 4 me pleeeeeeae ta G
driftwood on the river - ernest tubb
Oh!! Rio - Duran Duran!
goin to the river - fats
jump in the river - skinhead o'connor
not a song and its classical but...the blue danube ? fantastic waltz...
song of the coulee dam- woody guthrie
roll on columbia - same
doors - yes the river knows
last one ;
brian eno - by this river
Sorry to take over your post, Blimpy. I have been extremely curious to do some follow-up listening with Withered Hand, and will get to it Tomorrow, I promise.
Sorry if this is obnoxious, but as I'm 5 hours behind (unless I get up in the middle of the night to let the dog out or something), if anybody is so inclined, here's my list. ANd apologies for making a list. Apologies all round! For all my friends!!
Got to Cross River Jordan – Blind Willie McTell
The River – Bruce Springsteen
Proud Mary – CCR
River of Jordan – Carter Family
Blue River – Jack Teagarden
Traveling Riverside Blues – Robert Johnson
Down By the Riverside – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Misery is the River of the World – Tom Waits
Morgan Heritage – Down By the River
Trench town– Bob Marley
Muddy Water – A Mississippi Moan
Roamin in the Gloamin – Sir Harry Lauder
Rivers of Babylon – The Melodians
Run Softly, Blue River – Johnny Cash
Moon River – Harry Mancini
Cuyahoga - REM
Floating Bridge – Sleepy John Estes!!!!!!
Ol MAN RIVER - SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS !!!!!
good night.
Hairpy boiythday yooz goiyz!
happy birthday fella
Many Happy Returns to The 'Spill.
If I was still playing RR, I'd nominate Terry Reid's River from the album of the same name.
If anyone wants that one, feel free.
Cheers Peenko!
steen: I did see (what Jon Stewart showed of) Glenn Beck's Ganges comments, offending two huge religious populations in one go with his malicious ignorance (of which he seems disgustingly proud). Don't you have any anti-incitement laws in the US? That man really should be in jail.
Yes! He should!! How does he get away with it? It boggles my mind. It depresses me, actually, because he's got insane amounts of support and very avid followers. Words can't really describe how angry he makes me. And I'm trying to curse less this year, so I'd better stop talking about him.
happy 2nd to all Spillers everywhere! cheers Blimpy!
Happy second birthday, the 'Spill! And ta for these Withered Hand tracks, blimpy. I've been loving everything I've heard by him round here (specifically among folks' top three Festive tracks) so thanks for the introduction. I believe he's playing a gig in London town two weeks today. Quite tempted...
@bishbosh - i'm really glad you like it!
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