Wednesday, June 10, 2009

My God! What Have I Done?

For Wednesday, Talking Heads -- and their elastic leader David Byrne -- doing "Once In A Lifetime." Enjoy:

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5 Comments:

Blogger Spender said...

Though the Sex Pistols, Clash and Ramones thoroughly obliterated my once iron-clad allegiance to bands such as Led Zeppelin and Supertramp, it was Mr. Byrne and the band that elevated my taste in music to whole new levels. Suddenly, terms like 'Afro-centric', 'polyrhythmic' and 'World Beat' entered my vocabulary and whole new musical vistas appeared. This song, more than any other, played the largest role in opening my eyes, ears, heart and mind to all of the musical wonders I had previously missed.

4:05 PM  
Blogger Dezmond said...

One of my all time favortie songs.

Spender: Zeppelin drew from many wells too. Aside from the obvious American blues influences, Zeppelin also drew from sounds as diverse as English folk, Morrocan, Celtic, reggae and others. While Talking Heads definitely could teach listeners, those same listeners could also become exposed to a diverse musical vocabulary through Zeppelin if they bothered to investigate the musical roots of what Page and Co. were doing. It's all good, no need to set one up as more complex or worthy than the other.

5:05 PM  
Blogger Spender said...

Dezmond: While very much aware of the traditional music that Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham looked to for inspiration and being very much appreciative of same, Zeppelin's music was enjoyed strictly for what it was - damned fine rock and roll. Musicians such as David Byrne, Peter Gabriel and even Paul Simon succeeded in making me want to seek out their sources of inspiration and listen to a range of artists that I might otherwise never have given a chance.
I meant no disrespect towards Zeppelin, Cream, Hendrix or any of the bands who shaped my early tastes in music... simply saying that 'Once In A Lifetime' was a turning point for me and one which led me down many wonderful musical pathways.

5:26 PM  
Anonymous pf said...

"THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE!!!"
why is that so cathartic? i'm not even a man.

8:51 AM  
Blogger Dezmond said...

Fair enough. Damned fine rock and roll indeed. In my book, Peter Gabriel has done the most with bringing other sound textures to Western popular music. Aside from incorporating it brilliantly in his own work, he also started/runs a great record label, Real World, which specializes in "world music." Gabriel actively searches out interesting acts from around the world to put on the label.

9:04 AM  

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