Friday, November 2, 2012

Under the Lost Motown Master (November 5 - 9)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's Friday night and I've been watching 56 UP with Mrs coreyj. Having come home determined to drink too much, I managed 2 beers, as usual. Nevermind, so I'm a cheap date. And speaking of dates, here's the music I'll be listening to from the 5th to the 9th. 

For starters I have two disc ones - one for JJJ's Hip Hop Show and the other for a 3 disc set of Michael Jackson / Jackson 5 Motown songs. There's more of Thurston Moore and old favourites from Justin Townes Earle and Boogie Down Productions. I have a solo effort from Frente's Angie Hart and a true Australian classic from Paul Kelly since I saw the Stories of Me documentary last week. Filling out the rawk portion of this week's slice of my working life, I have the first Kiss album I ever owned (I was 8) and the Lost Dogs collection from Pearl Jam. Finally, for some sombre reflection there's a set from Bonnie "Prince" Billy. 

Check it out:

  1. Hilltop Hoods
  2. U2
  3. Evil Eddie
  4. 10,000 Maniacs
  5. Joe Jackson

Song of the Week : Stephen Cummings - From St Kilda To Kings Cross



After seeing the Paul Kelly doc, Stories of Me at the weekend, I have chosen From St Kilda to Kings Cross. However, I'm selecting the Stephen Cummings cover version. I chose the cover because I think it is more literal with the mood of the song.


The story the movie told was that after The Dots, Paul Kelly's writing dried up for two years. He had written one song and that was Water In The Well which is about not being able to write. So he left Melbourne for Sydney. The writing then came in a flood which led to Post, Under The Sun, Gossip and Comedy - all great albums.

So this song starts up in wonder of the Sydney landscape, face pressed in anticipation to the glass window of a bus. He describes everything as shining like a post card and how nobody stops to notice it with "everything goes on just the same". When the bridge comes in, he's suddenly talking of hungry 'fair weather friends'.

Finally, in the last verse it's Melbourne he is pining for and he wants to trade Sydney in for St Kilda pier even after acknowledging that St Kilda isn’t the shining pretty place that Sydney is  “Where the beach needs reconstruction / Where the palm trees have it hard”. 

This is not an upbeat, happy and carefree song the way it sounds when PK sings it. It’s about a guy who has left his home on a 13 hour bus trip and come to a city where he doesn’t have any real friends. Which is why I chose Stephen Cummings and his exhausted, resigned and maudlin piano cover.

Unfortunately, the cover is not on YouTube, so here's the Paul Kelly video.  

Checkyalater

It's just after midnight here now and I'm thinking of throwing on my Music Jamboree DVD before climbing into bed with Sickboy, Begbie, Renton and Spud in Porno. Whatever you do this weekend, stay safe and happy and try to cram as much music in as you can. 

To our American cousins who are going out to vote next week, please do the right thing by the rest of the world and put Barry back in the big chair. Cheers.

Bye for now. Hasala malakim.

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