Five Things I Saw & Heard This Week
Transcripts from the everyday world of music by Martin Colyer
ON THE MUSIC PLAYER
One of my favourite Christmas Songs,
Nellie McKay’s “Christmas Dirge”.
Why the great Nellie McKay is not a bigger star, I’ll never know — smart, funny, literate, a fine pianist, a great singer — but maybe her rebel nature stopped her being the Laufey of the 2000s… This song, sung to a woodsman, has some of the McKay essentials: lyrics that scan beautifully, a poignant melody, a radical vegan treatise wrapped in a Christmas bow. More power to you, Nellie!
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HERE’S A TAG CLOUD THAT HAS A FEW OF THE SUBJECTS COVERED ON FIVE THINGS
Aimee Mann Amanda Petrusich Aretha Franklin Barney Hoskyns Bill Colyer Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen David Bowie Desert Island Discs Every Record Tells a Story Hot House Inside Llewyn Davis Janis Joplin JazzWax John Cuneo Joni MItchell Jonny Trunk Ken Colyer Leonard Cohen Levon Helm Liam Noble likeahammerinthesink London Jazz Collector Marc Myers Mark Pringle Martin Colyer Mavis Staples Michael Gray Mick Gold Miles Davis music Music Documentaries New Yorker Richard Williams Robbie Robertson rocksbackpages.com Ry Cooder Sam Charters Steely Dan Studio 51 The Band thebluemoment.com The Guardian US Esquire Van Morrison
SUPER HITS [!] OF THE SIXTIES! | ONE | “SEALED WITH A KISS”
I’d heard the song for the first time in years on one of the last episodes of the TV series, Mad Men. Brian Hyland’s 1962 puppy-love pop classic (#3 on both US and UK charts) has a naggingly dark/slightly hysterical melody that stuck in my head for days after watching the programme. On one hand it’s an over-ripe teen anthem, on the other a singular melody that doesn’t sound like a “pop” tune at all. Here‘s my version, part of a five song project covering songs from the 60s.
FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
BUY THE BOOK OF FIVE THINGS
HERE’S A TAG CLOUD…
Aimee Mann Amanda Petrusich Aretha Franklin Barney Hoskyns Bill Colyer Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen David Bowie Desert Island Discs Every Record Tells a Story Hot House Inside Llewyn Davis Janis Joplin JazzWax John Cuneo Joni MItchell Jonny Trunk Ken Colyer Leonard Cohen Levon Helm Liam Noble likeahammerinthesink London Jazz Collector Marc Myers Mark Pringle Martin Colyer Mavis Staples Michael Gray Mick Gold Miles Davis music Music Documentaries New Yorker Richard Williams Robbie Robertson rocksbackpages.com Ry Cooder Sam Charters Steely Dan Studio 51 The Band thebluemoment.com The Guardian US Esquire Van Morrison
AND HERE’S THE ARCHIVE…
THE LATEST PROJECT: SUPER HITS [!] OF THE SIXTIES!
“SEALED WITH A KISS”
I’d heard the song for the first time in years on one of the last episodes of the TV series, Mad Men. Brian Hyland’s 1962 puppy-love pop classic (#3 on both US and UK charts) has a naggingly dark/slightly hysterical melody that stuck in my head for days after watching the programme. On one hand it’s an over-ripe teen anthem, on the other a singular melody that doesn’t sound like a “pop” tune at all. It’s the first track from a new project covering songs from the 60s.
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Aimee Mann Amanda Petrusich Aretha Franklin Barney Hoskyns Bill Colyer Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen David Bowie Desert Island Discs Every Record Tells a Story Hot House Inside Llewyn Davis Janis Joplin JazzWax John Cuneo Joni MItchell Jonny Trunk Ken Colyer Leonard Cohen Levon Helm Liam Noble likeahammerinthesink London Jazz Collector Marc Myers Mark Pringle Martin Colyer Mavis Staples Michael Gray Mick Gold Miles Davis music Music Documentaries New Yorker Richard Williams Robbie Robertson rocksbackpages.com Ry Cooder Sam Charters Steely Dan Studio 51 The Band thebluemoment.com The Guardian US Esquire Van Morrison
ON THE MUSIC PLAYER: ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG
Nellie McKay’s “Christmas Dirge”. Why the great Nellie McKay is not a bigger star, I’ll never know — smart, funny, literate, a fine pianist, a great singer — but maybe her rebel nature stopped her being the Laufey of the 2000s… This song, sung to a woodsman, has some of the McKay essentials: lyrics that scan beautifully, a poignant melody, a radical vegan treatise wrapped in a Christmas bow. More power to you, Nellie!
Aimee Mann Amanda Petrusich Aretha Franklin Barney Hoskyns Bill Colyer Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen David Bowie Desert Island Discs Every Record Tells a Story Hot House Inside Llewyn Davis Janis Joplin JazzWax John Cuneo Joni MItchell Jonny Trunk Ken Colyer Leonard Cohen Levon Helm Liam Noble likeahammerinthesink London Jazz Collector Marc Myers Mark Pringle Martin Colyer Mavis Staples Michael Gray Mick Gold Miles Davis music Music Documentaries New Yorker Richard Williams Robbie Robertson rocksbackpages.com Ry Cooder Sam Charters Steely Dan Studio 51 The Band thebluemoment.com The Guardian US Esquire Van Morrison
Five Things I Saw & Heard This Week