Music for All

Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna and Beyonce,  Sabbath and Metallica, Dylan, Blunt and Seger. I’m listening to them right now. All brilliant artists. I went through a phase where Beyonce was played every day, then Rihanna, then Bob Dylan etc, etc, etc. Right now I play Gaga’s music to death. This woman is phenomenal – from bopper to mature adult she captures a wide spectrum audience.  Like all of the above she won’t be forgotten a long time after her voice fades. What makes Lady Gaga sensational though? She may be a slight (ummmm) copycat of Madonna – my own feeling is that Madonna had the right package at the right time, she is a brilliant dancer, contrary to popular belief I do think she can act and more importantly when I was in my early twenties I had a crush on Madonna. Now in my early fifties I have a crush on Gaga. Senility? You bet. But this girl can sing. She is outrageous, funny, very human and I bet you is possibly the best selling female artist right now. I wouldn’t know though. Being only human myself I am interested in stats and often do research to find out just whom the most popular, best selling, wealthiest artists are. Is it really Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jackson, Queen, Pink Floyd, ABBA, etc, ect, etc.  I look at it pretty much like anyone else.  The mood you’re in, the year and possible political change, like any change, the situation you are in, teen love, adult love, girl leaves boy, boy leaves girl, marriage, birth, divorce, death – all these things play a role.  When I read articles based on the whom is better, whom is more popular and whom is wealthier often these articles contradict each other and yes, we forget that one person’s favourite is not going to be the next person’s favourite. However one thing is clear. Look at the top hundred of person A and you”ll find some of the favorites will be listed in person B’s. I find it sad that often the Moody Blues is not listed in the top twenty. They always make my top ten. I make a list today and next Saturday I will find them again in my top ten although Nights in White Satin may have moved from number two slot to number nine.  When I was in my late teens Sabbath were my favourite group.  Deep Purple and Grand Funk were right there as well but Sabbath were always my favourite. Who remembers Golden Earring? Mega storm. Still around, if my memory serves me right they are one of the oldest surviving rock groups. Let’s not forget the Scorpions. Now where do the sit on my list? I’m listening to Eight Miles High right now. Golden Earring, not The Byrds. Mr Tamborine Man was a Byrds song I’ll never forget but in my early twenties we loved rock – Earring was my group.

I have always been fascinated by electronic stuff so I built a sound system, which in those years was fairly powerful, set up a disco and started playing music to death. Anyone that runs a club or mobile sound knows what I am talking about. The guy that made me the most money – without a doubt was Michael Jackson,  Thriller was out in 1983 and believe me there was not a clubber that dd not ask to have all his songs played. There were some very anti Jackson people out there but then again in those days Maryjane was a plentiful and your taste would have been around Floyd. But no, you don’t play Shine on You Crazy Diamond when everyone wants to hear Jackson. Earring you could play Radar Love but not Eight Miles High. I could play most Nazareth songs but not Pink Floyd. They were in a different league. We used to party in the bush Saturday nights after the social scene died out – and out came Floyd. Every time. The more weed the more the Floyd. And don’t forget Dylan.  Bob was in fact before our time – sad part was we all thought we understood,  but we didn’t. I didn’t go to the Vietnam War – lot’s of music in my home country was misunderstood because we weren’t in America. Lots smoked the peace pipe.  Did I say Peace Train – Cat Stevens, Yusaf Islam. Phenomenal musician at the time – note the style of music in the ’70’s, Peter Sarstedt, Gordon Lightfoot. What do we have now – what is our liberation music about right now?  Remember as a teen or in your early twenties we all plan to leave a footprint. We didn’t – the musicians did. Anyone heard of George Harrison, one of my all time greats. If you think Lennon and McCartney were the only Beatle song writers you’re wrong. Harrison wrote some of his best music after the Beatles disbandoned.  Paul McCartney and Wings were another sensation – Band on the Run.

This article is a bit disjointed like a lot of our msic today – when listening to music there should always be a connection. Sad songs, happy songs, exciting songs and sexy songs. We seem to be losing something.  I find Irish groups possibly the most interesting – steeped in history and plenty of passion. U2 springs to mind.  

My favourite groups:

• Nickleback
• Sabbath
• Led Zeppelin
• REM
• Golden Earring
• Scorpions
• Juluka
• Moody Blues
• Queen
• Pink Floyd
• Dire Straits
• Bon Jovi
• Deep Purple
• Grand Funk
• Live

Best solo artists (male and female)

• Blunt
• Rihanna
• Dion
• Beyonce
• Houston
• Gaga
• Madonna
• Twain
• Bryan Adams
• Elvis Blue
• Elvis Presley
• Elton John
• Clapton
• Hendrix

Tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow will be Kings of Leon, 30 Seconds to Mars,  David Bowie.  Moods come and go, like where I want to place my favourites.  But the groups and solo artists I listed above will always be somewhere in the top.

Do me a favour and drop me a line sometime, maybe we can swap notes.

Ciao and Adious amigos