12 posts from April 2007

Post a Track From A Musical Family

Two tracks from The Fagans, an Australian folk band. I've seen them (collectively and in various combinations) at nearly every National Folk Festival I've been to.

They don't seem to have a webpage for the whole band, but James and Nancy have some information here (and I'm pretty much just linking that because I took that photo), and Kate has a webpage here.

These two songs are from their album Turning Fine, which is a couple of years old now. 

The Tunnel Tigers

The Fagans

The lyrics to this song were written by Ewan MacColl, and is about Irish workers building the London underground. One of my favourite of their acapella songs.

Ye Jacobites By Name

The Fagans

This one originated a bit longer ago.  It was written by Robert Burns in 1791. I'm not really up on the politics of eighteenth century Scotland, so not entirely sure what it's all about.  Billy Bragg did a sort-of cover version called Thatcherites though, whose lyrics I can get behind 100%.

Apparently, in the case of a zombie attack, I will be either be dying for your amusement, or dying, then coming back to wreak my hideous revenge.

Fair enough.

Zombie Girl

Baterz

1 comment

Zombie Girl

Spazzys

for mp3eme:

SONG FROM YOUR FIRST CONCERT

Post a song from the band/artist that played the first concert you ever attended.

It could be your first real concert as an young adult/adult or one your parent(s) dragged you to ...whatever you consider to be your first.

The more background info...the more interesting. (Date? Location? Seating?Did it suck? Rock? Don't Remember?)

If you don't have a tune from the actual album said concert was promoting...you can post a favorite song from the band/artist.

Time to 'fess up!

002 - Why Go (Melbourne 3-17-1995)

031 - Rockin' In The Free World (Melbourne 3-17-1995)

I think everyone in Canberra between 14 and 30 was packed into Exhibition Park that night.

The concert itself was amazing.  They played for over two hours, and I got jumped on by a fat guy trying to crowd surf.  What could be better?

These songs aren't from that concert (although I do have a dodgy bootleg on my other computer), but from a few nights later in Melbourne.  Triple J broadcast it live, and I've still got a copy of it on tape somewhere.   Listening to it now, 12 years later, it still brings back good memories.  I'm not at all a Pearl Jam fan now, but listening to these songs, especially Why Go, I can remember why I was.

EMBARRASSING SONG FROM YOUR PERSONAL COLLECTION

We all have songs in our lives that a majority of people believe should have never been made, are too cheesy, or just plain blow chunks.

You know the song I'm talking about. The song that makes your finger shoot out for the skip button when it accidentally pops up on the stereo/iPod when you're not alone. Or that song you hear while driving and wish you could crank it up...but your passenger would mock you till death.  That song.
OR
Post a song that you should be embarrassed by but don't give a rat's ass what people think.

Not to worry...we won't mock you (here).

Trouble

I probably have quite a few songs that I should be embarrassed by.  An embarrassment of riches, you might say.  But this one I'll admit to being slightly embarrassed by.  Not so much the song itself, but the fact that I have three singles and one album by Shampoo.  If I just had this song, I could probably get away with saying that I liked it ironically.  But owning fully half their discography means I'm more like a... a fan.

In popular opinion, I think Shampoo were a bit of a one hit wonder, with the word hit being somewhat of a misnomer.  This song, their best-selling single, didn't even get into the top ten.  They seemed to do somewhat better in Japan, which makes me happy.  It's nice when a band finds the audience that they deserve.

In my mind at least, Shampoo fitted neatly somewhere between Kenickie and the Spice Girls.  They were undeniably, shamelessly pop, but still there was something kinda subversive there.  And damnit, they were fun.

Show us some birds.

Some photos I took a year or so ago:

Sulfur-crested cockatoo

Cockatoo attempting to destroy streetlight

Cockatoos in the wind

What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.) 
Submitted by Bill. 

Pearl Jam at Exhibition Park, Canberra 1995

The first gig I ever went to.  At the time I was a huge Pearl Jam fan, so for them to come to town was a pretty big deal.

Went to this one with my wife, who was a bigger B&S fan than me at the time, but after this I think we're pretty much even in our love of them.

I actually got a t-shirt signed by the band after this, which was probably the highlight of my year.

Don't think I'd heard any Peaches before this.  Got dragged along by my sister, and I am grateful.

The first time I'd seen them.  Amazingly loud.  Blew my ears and my mind.

With Sandpit supporting, and Paul doing Strategy solo as an encore.

I went to a lot of gigs at Tilleys with my dad.  Seeing Frente was great, they were definately an under-rated band.

I was kind of close to the front for this, and turning round and seeing people as far back as I could see is a memory that won't ever leave me.

Another gig I went to with my sister, the last time she ventured back to Australia.  So, no matter whether the gig was any good (it was, btw), it's memorable, coz I generally like hanging out with her.

Billy solo, just him and a guitar.  Played a good long set, covering most of his career.

Audio:  Share a great instrumental song or album.

Ocean Songs

Last Horse On The Sand

I'd probably normally see 'instrumental' and go for one of my mainstays like Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, but I suspect they may be somewhat over-represented here.  So therefore, I decided to cheat and post two instrumentals.

The first - Dirty Three, and a track from their...third?  fourth possibly? album, Ocean Songs. It was the first of theirs that I bought, after seeing them perform the whole album live on a Rage special.  This song in particular grabbed me then, and is still one of my favourites of theirs.

Help: Artists for War Child

Adnan

The second track is by Orbital, and is, again, one of the first songs of theirs that I heard.  It's called Adnan, and is from the Help compilation CD, that was produced in 24 hours in 1995.  This track was later released on In Sides, and called Adnan's, but I think this original version's better.