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| "Oi! Dave yeh gert gobshite! Oy was gave dis badge by the Quaine of Oirland, and yew wasn't!" |
Van Morrison has been trying to out-do John Zorn in uncontrollable incontinence of new releases. Every album - "dropping" every couple of weeks or so - that isn't a cold bowl of bile-n'-spite stew, garnished with oxygen tent sax solos, is desperately clutched at by fans as some kind of return to form, even if that form was set sometime in this useless century. So Orangefield is a pleasant surprise - it's a genuinely enjoyable, good-spirited, well-played and sung live album from 2014, and why he decided to release it now is as much of a mystery as anything he does. On the basis of my recommendation you'll rush out and buy it, but there's an ear canal-crimping @192 in the comments, should you be a lousy grifting bum intent on bringing the music industry to its knees.The sleeve design looks like Alice Coopers School's Out, and Hotlegs' Thinks School Stinks, but there's a warm human interest story behind it, very possibly the first - and last - in Van's career. Look it up, and have a hankie ready.
Dave "call me David" Gilmour can hold his own with both George Ivan and Rog Waters in the "fuck me I'm one fucking miserable millionaire, me" stakes, and his solo career has been a lesson in underachievement. Even rabid Floyd fans (anyone who hung in there after Dark Side, basically) lost interest in it half way through the first side of that first album nobody can remember the title of even though it was just his name. The best you can say of Gilmour's solo career is that it's modest - he's made like three albums in fifty years, and only his wife bought them. So turning in a pretty swell piece of work at this late stage is as welcome a surprise as Orangefield.Is it fantastic? No, but it's the kind of album you'd have bought back in the day and "got into" without feeling ripped off. Which for an Old Dude is some achievement. Maybe a little bit fantastic.
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Freeload made available to those who share their favorite sandwich.Mine: cheddar cheese salad (onion, lettuce, tomato, with a light sprinkle of salt, on wholewheat bread).
ReplyDeleteYou know what's interesting about this blogging thing? I get a virtual tsunami of page views (185 in the few minutes this piece has been up, and it'll reach five hundred in a couple of days) but the ratio of comment-to-view is ... well, do the math. It's gratifying that it's read - although the ratio of actual reads to page views is bafflingly low, too (Blogger stats shows length of visit, and most are drive-thru).
DeleteI don't expect th' IoF© to get back up to the heady heights of a year or so ago. Taking a year off has its cost in lost momentum. I understand that many of th' Four Or Five Guys© have decamped to more refined surroundings. But it's still a mystery to me why so few of you make the very small effort to comment. I appreciate it. I don't do social media, no longer (as part of internet activity cutbacks) haunt other blogs or forums, and do this mostly for myself, as I did right back at the start. The "island" idea was somewhere to be; so next time you're here - maybe this time? - scribble your name in the sand. Throw a message in a bottle. 'Preciate it!
Fair enough. I've enjoyed the comments and never participated. So here goes. Grilled cheese with VELVEETA! I know-it's embarrassing! So sue me!
DeleteSandwich choice depends on time of year.Winter: Cheddar Cheese onion tomato on Sourdough toasted. Summer: Crusty roll Provolone cheese, olives,chili,lettuce, onion.
ReplyDeleteHave been through love to bored with Van.Driving still play some Them up loud.My wife loves some of his ballads still.Often its the crew backing him that sets the mood rather than his scatting etc. But he has done great in a vast catalogue. Haven't listened to Floyd of any sort since hippy days.Looking forward to this to see if can sooth me :)! I do drop in often and don't comment as I am not confident to go to print with my thoughts. Will be out of action shortly just been suddenly diagnosed with stomach Aorta Aneurysm.Surgery coming up very soon.Thanks for providing a safe space for like minded Farq.Love the humor and knowledge of yourself and the regulars. Keep it up.
You've seen your trading card, I hope? Aorta Aneurysm?? Holy freaking crap good luck with that, Mr. Reeds. I'd say "thoughts and prayers" if the phrase hadn't been devalued. That's what you got, anyway. Your comments have always been valued and enjoyed and I hope when you get back on your feet we'll see more of them. G'bless.
DeleteHard to beat the good old PB&J. Still cheap, er inexpensive, and on the whole fairly healthy. For me, a taste sensation as well. I have dug maybe half a dozen songs by the first guy. Mainly the hits, I guess. Kind of agree on the second one with you as to the history although I do find good musical value in the Pigs album as well as the Wish you album so might give that one a go if it is offered. That is my worthless contribution but it does give you something to read and let you know someone is listening to what you say and encouraging you to keep exploring new releases, not just those by such familiar voices. I have been around for a little while too and am just constantly floored by what is being produced all around the world these days.
ReplyDeletehttps://pedrodediosantoniofernandez.bandcamp.com/album/cantes-malditos
DeleteApologies. I am so inept at this. As an example, the above from the country of Spain. Hope someone else enjoys this half as much as I do. Thanks for your patience.
DeleteHypnowheel, if you only knew the many frustrations of trying to put up a blog piece, formatted, illustrated, and linked! It gets no easier with age, and what seems like increasing unreliability of the Blogger interface. It's tedious, is what it is! So I very much appreciate the trouble you went to here and look forward to hearing the music - which I think pmac will enjoy too.
DeleteCase in point: ever mindful to increase the humor element to toxic levels, I decided to add the inscription to Van's "badge" case. This involved virtually having to re-do the entire piece as Blogger hates you going back and altering stuff. Was it worth it? I like to think so. Made me laugh, anyway. I have nothing else to do this morning.
DeleteBack atcha, Mr. Wheel. I'm having your kind words tattooed on my perineum.
DeletePretty basic - ham with English mustard.It always baffled us Australians when Americans talked about P.B. & jelly as jelly to us is what you guys call jello - a pretty squishy sandwich!
ReplyDeleteAmericans can't make a sandwich smaller than a baby's head.
DeleteYes discovered that on the first trip to the U.S. - well all food actually - we ended up ordering one meal between the two of us (and don't get me started on trying to find a decent cup of tea)
DeleteFavorite sandwich these days is a grilled, boneless, cheicken breast, with grilled peach slices on a toasted bun.
ReplyDeleteThe surge in Morrison releases is due to him starting his own record company and releasing his own material. He also just released a live recording from 1971 which I have and can post if you like.
Is that the Pacific High set? From Into The Mystic > Buona Sera? I have it, but please post for them as don't!
DeleteBack in the day .. when I used .. er hmm ..to partake of the odd mind expansion .. nothing could beat a .. ready for this? ... cheese, marmite, marmalade and peanut butter toastie!!!! A real taste sensation!!!
ReplyDeleteTell me you're kidding. You're kidding ... right?
DeleteSorry, Farq .. but it's for real!! They tasted real good then!! Also frozen Mars bars coming back after taking a trip!!!
DeleteOoh look! Linkage!
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/wenxnTn7nAM
Before reading these comments I just made a comment about your previous post - the one with so few comments, and the vintage photo.
ReplyDeleteAnyway Van and David, sorry to say I don’t find the time to listen to their output much these days.
I think Davids wife Polly Samson now writes the lyrics for his albums, and has done so occasionally going back to Division Bell. I did enjoy his concert on TV from the Albert Hall about ten years ago, with Crosby and Nash doing backing singing.
"Romany Gilmour sings, plays the harp and appears on lead vocals" - well, anyway ...
DeleteThe best thing on the album is probably the orchestral piece added as a bonus.
Boringly, toasted cheddar cheese on thick white bread with a generous slick of Linghams chilli sauce . Original type as Linghams in their wisdom have decided to pollute their range by adding ginger, ginger & garlic etc variations. If they could add a cheddar cheese and chilli variety I might forgive them, as it would be a timesaver.
ReplyDeleteI add Worcestershire Sauce, but otherwise we're on the same page. "Fried" in the air "fryer".
DeleteGood call. I'll try that tomorrow. I used to add mango chutney but deleted that some time ago.
DeleteHere's the other "new" live release from Morrison. A concert from 1971 in Marin. Its in flac, Farq. https://mega.nz/folder/ZnYERaiC#iLCuTZdS-eOhc_Gfq4OQ9w
ReplyDeleteThank 'ee, pmac. This is the same as the "Pacific High" recording I have. It's a goodie.
DeleteDe nada, querido amigo. I prefer it over the more recent one. The Marin playlist is very different from anything else live that he has released.
DeleteDidn't have this one -- thanks pmac!
DeleteChoripan: a local grilled sausage w/chimichurri sauce between half a baguette.
ReplyDeleteI think Van was booted from Warners.
ReplyDeleteI recall hearing he was eliminated from the"Staff Songwriter" payroll along with dozens of other "staffers". His reported stipend was $175/month
DeleteBefore we start agreeing with his point of view that he's been treated scandalously by Warners - on a defunct message board a good few years back the most respected poster was an industry insider, high up, who related his experience of Morrison at Warners. He said Morrison was easily the most difficult, unreasonable and obnoxious artist on their roster, that he was given every advantage and still fucked everything up and pissed everybody off. Every contract he signed was transparently arrived at in consultation with him and his lawyers. Warners had a far better rep for taking care of their artists than any other label. His decades of bitter sniping at the music business are worse than disingenuous. He's an impossible shit. A great, great artist. And an impossible shit.
DeleteMy last office gig, I liked to bring my own lunch, and what I consistently put into plastic tubs was one peanut butter & jam sandwich and one cheese sandwich with lettuce. First sandwich was consumed "al desko" after 11 a.m. I would melt the cheese a bit in the microwave during my lunch break (after 1 p.m. when bookkeeper returned) and slap the lettuce on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that's "my favorite," but consistently consuming something for four-plus years is a pretty strong endorsement. Convenience certainly played a part, but so did enjoyment.
D in California
Thanks FT3sticks. Grilled PB&J on whole wheat nut bread. Occasionally a French toasted tuna salad is pretty tasty. I stop by pretty frequently just to read & skate away most times. Thanks for the blog, good job.
ReplyDeleteCorned beef and Branston pickle. On anything. Thanks for the oldies...
ReplyDeleteCorned beef is good grub. Nothing wrong with it. So is Spam, actually. Tinned meat is inherently laughable, and it's just not fair, dammit.
DeleteSo many fillings so little time. Oh well. Anyway Ham and Egg Mayo (heavy on the black pepper) is a staple as is Cheddar with home made green tomato chutney (a slice of ham optional) or raw onion. Tuna and cucumber dowsed in vinegar will always attract my interest as will chicken and beetroot (cheese and beetroot works well as well)
ReplyDeletebut they dwindle in the presence of prawn and advocado and in particular my favourite cold filling Pastrami, Dill Pickle and Mayo. The bread is interchangeable as long as its not that gritty brown stuff or 5 day old white cardboard. Adding salad is an option for many and partnering meat or cheese with various pickles and sauces (mustard, horseradish, piccalilly or branston sweet pickle) works as well to offer a change. PB & J is reserved for toast and therefore does not qualify for the sandwich category.
As for hot fillings, roasted pork and tomato ketchup, and roasted Lamb and mint are definitely eyecatchers and a cheese toastie with ham never goes amiss. Equally Hot dogs and sausage sandwiches (with any combination of mustard, ketchup or brown sauce) are also not to be ignored nor are 'bubble and squeak' (leftover boiled potatoes and brassicas mashed and fried off) sandwiches (Tommy K optional). Chip 'butties' are simply essential (with vinegar, ketchup or whichever alternative sauce one prefers) for human existence.
However my all time favourite is rather mundane in comparison and is best served in soft spongey mass produced white bread (but can be served with any white bread). I give you fried egg (sunny side up) & bacon (sausage and mushrooms optional) with a generous dollop of tomato ketchup ensuring the yoke is punctured and allowed to soak into the bread.
I do like a sandwich.....
A bacon sandwich is Food of the Gods. Cheap white bread, ketchup, you're good to go.
DeleteI've been sticking with turkey and pepper jack cheese with lettuce on a low-carb wrap lately, as I'm supposed to be avoiding decent bread (and salt) after losing a cancerous kidney a couple of months ago. I can't do a peanut butter wrap, it just doesn't work, so I sometimes cheat with some whole wheat. I don't understand avoiding lettuce on my PB. To me, it needs that crispness to offset the PB stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouthness. I can take or leave the jam.
ReplyDeleteI've been burned so many times by Van's recent releases, and his politics, and I always feel like a sucker trying to convince myself that this new one's pretty good. It's been tough but I'll give this a try. Thanks. I was just reading about Lewis Merenstein's involvement in Astral Weeks, and I think it's a crime he didn't get more credit for what he brought to it. And of course, George Ivan has dissed him for over 50 years.
Thanks for the 192. I don't need flac.
Who *needs* flac? Only people who like the reassurance of CD "quality" for zip, people who like looking at waveform analysis, and people who believe whatever difference they can hear is actually important in their lives. There's also wine-taster snobbism at work (cf Steve Hoffman community) - "I can taste the difference between the north and south sides of the vineyard" kind of deal.
DeleteI mean, okay, if you can hear a difference, good for you. But you're in a minority (as supported by every study I've ever read), and not everyone needs to bloat up their hard drives with unnecessary data.
George Ivan said something along the lines of "they ruined it with the strings". He's an impossible shit who's made some of the greatest contemporary music of the last century. That's last as in last.
An important note: I would rather have either a peanut butter sandwich or a jam sandwich than one which combines the two. They are each sufficient unto themselves and delicious.
ReplyDeleteI went through a phase in grade school were I was eating Cream Cheese & Jelly sandwiches. I'd probably get fat if I ate them now. They were good though.
DeleteVan has some stuff I love. Have I told you lately was our wedding song, for goodness sakes. Maybe in his cantankerousness (No idea how to spell that) he would get behind me in an old fashioned PB and J (Strawberyy jam, please) or the old fashioned Grilled cheese on Sourdough or Tuscan bread.
ReplyDeleteCorned beef and beetroot and no messing.
ReplyDeleteFrench Dip, which is ubiquitous in California but surprisingly hard to find in Florida for some reason
ReplyDeleteThis is possibly not the French Dip I learned in Paris.
DeleteBacon, lettuce and tomato on lightly toasted sourdough bread.
ReplyDelete