Relax and Dream Away Songs ( #BOTB )

   Now that I've got another birthday out of the way, it's time to just sit back and relax and dream away.  Guess it sounds like any other day.  Life is good...

 Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Relax and Dream Songs

     When Neil Young's Harvest album came out in 1972, the highlight for me was the 7 minute song "Words (Between the Lines of Age).  I would listen to that song and wish it would last the entire side of the record.  A few months later the Young album Journey Through the Past came out with an extended 16 minute version of the song that covered a whole album side.  My wish for a longer version was granted and I was thrilled.

       I've long been a fan of long songs and especially long meandering pieces that elevate me to another plane of thought experience.  Those musical pieces, much like many classical works, give the music a chance to expand in my mind and stimulate my thinking--or just lull me into an ultra-relaxed state of peace and calm.  When something is good enough I sometimes don't want it to end.  At least not for a while.

       Here are two of my favorite long laid back tour de force pieces from two different decades.  I still love them both.  Take a listen and see how you respond to them and let us know which you like best...

Wally   "What To Do"  (1974)

      When I first heard the group Wally on the radio with their song "The Martyr," I knew I had to have their album.  After all, the instrumentation prominently featured a violin which is a favorite instrument of mine.  As soon as I could I made a trip over to Knoxville to get a copy of the album which was as good or even better than I had expected.  The song "What To Do" became a favorite.  I would listen to it repeatedly as I drifted and dreamed away.  At the time, I was 24 years old and wondering exactly what the song said in regard to my own life.  What was I going to do with my life?  Not long after that I got a pretty good idea where my life was going.  Kind of.  Here's the song...

Flaming Lips   "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"  (1999)

      About 20 years ago I bought a CD copy of The Flaming Lips' album The Soft Bulletin. I enjoyed it okay, but never gave it a particularly intense listen. The CD languished on my shelves until just recently when I started playing it again. Playing it obsessively.  The dreamy extended song "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" is the stand out for me and this one got extra plays as I relaxed in the evening before going to bed.  I find something incredibly relaxing and reassuring in this song.  Is it just me?  Please take a listen to see if you like it...      

Time to Vote!

          Before you totally drift away into Dreamland, how about casting a vote?  Hey, take time to relax a bit and enjoy music.   Which of these songs do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Results to come on Monday February 10

   

         I'm giving you some extra time since the songs are so long.  Not really.  Monday just seems better than Friday or the weekend.  There's also another post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Another reason why my results post will be on the date that I've chosen.  Not that it's any big deal or anything.  

Don't Worry ( #BOTB Results )

Anxiety weighs down the heart,  but a kind word cheers it up.    

Proverbs 12:25 New International Version (NIV)

Pondering the Colorado River in Austin Texas

Pandemic Days

        There's so much for people to worry about these days that it's difficult to know where to start.  Maybe it's best to start by not worrying.  Jesus said not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34) and if you don't take any stock in what Jesus had to say then just use common sense.  How are you going to make things better by worrying? 

          If you find yourself consumed by worry then maybe you need to take some action to take your mind off of that worry.  After all, worry is essentially an act of selfishness if no action is taken to find ways to remedy that which is worrying you.  Worry is wasted effort which culminates in no positive result.  If all you do is worry then you aren't working towards personal wellness and your worry can become more contagious than the worst disease.

         Would you rather be spreading the negative energy of worry or the positive energy of hope, concern for others, and the mindset that things will get better? 

        Sometimes children know best.  Here's a story that my daughter Ada Z shared recently about my dear granddaughter, Grace, who is seven years old:

My daughter, Grace, had a dream the other night. She said,
“We were sitting around the campfire as a family and God came down to sit with us. He started singing a song about the world. Then he ate a marshmallow. Everything is going to be ok”

I asked her how she knew that it was God. She said, “It was definitely God”.

The smile that she had on her face and the twinkle in her eye gave me so much hope and it has truly gotten me through the last few days.

         Thank you for that sweet story, Ada, and bless the wisdom of my granddaughter, Gracie.  She put into words with elegant simplicity the advice I've been trying to live by over the past decade or so.  Eat marshmallows and sing happy songs.  Everything will turn out just fine--or at least the way it's supposed to work out.

Battle of the Bands Results

My Martyr Battle

         My most recent Battle saw "Joan of Arc" by Jennifer Warnes go up against "The Martyr" by prog rock group Wally.  As some of you might have guessed, my favorite was the song by Wally.   However either of the albums that these songs came from are big favorites of mine.  The voting ran close at the beginning of the race, but then Wally broke out ahead to capture the win.

   Final Vote Tally

Jennifer Warnes     5 votes

Wally                       9 votes

Next Battle on Wednesday April 1st

        This is going to be a big day in blogging since this will also be the start of Blogging from A to Z April Challenge for 2020.   So far nearly 300 blogs are signed up to the official list, but many more will be participating through social media sites like Facebook.  If you're basically locked down for the current pandemic then why not join us in A to Z.  This seems like the year to do it.

       And wait!  There's more!   April 1st will also be the posting date for Insecure Writer's Support Group.  So it's gonna be a whopper of a blogging day.  I've pulled all these together in one post in previous years so I guess I can do it again.

        Please be well.  And don't be afraid.

Joan of Arc / The Martyr ( #BOTB )

We've got our corned beef brisket ready to cook on St. Pat's Day but I'll still need to run to the store on Monday to get some cabbage and potatoes to round out the dinner.  I hope I can get in the store.  All this shopping frenzy and panic is kind of weird.  Maybe people should stop paying so much attention to the news.  You'd think it's the end of the world...

Queuing up for panic buying at Costco (Washington Post)

        I've been to the grocery store a couple times this week, not for those items in heavy demand like toilet paper and water, but just for stuff we wanted though not necessarily needed.  Certain shelves were emptied and the store traffic was higher than normal for the time that I visited.  I've heard rumors and seen news reports about the crazy lines and panic buying, but haven't seen much first hand that was too extreme.  Still, what's going on does seem a bit wacky.

         We typically have a goodly supply of necessities and we had already stocked up from Costco before all this craziness started, so we are in fine shape for now.  And I'm not overly concerned about this pandemic mania.  I guess if it's not political nuttiness or climate change extremism or whatever, then somebody somewhere will concoct some other needless fear.  Not to say we shouldn't be concerned, but we shouldn't drive ourselves crazy with worry.

          What, me worry? Alfred E. Newman said it best for me...


Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.


Saints Be Praised!

         This week it's all about St. Patrick and all things Irish.  I guess I'll avoid this general theme for my Battle of the Bands and instead give tribute to another saint--Joan of Arc.  There are a number of songs that pay homage to St. Joan.  For this Battle I've chose two that are personal favorites...




Jennifer Warnes    "Joan of Arc"  (1987)

        Though there were a few Leonard Cohen songs that had caught my attention over the years, I wasn't much of a fan until Jennifer Warnes came out with her Famous Blue Raincoat album in 1986. I don't know what made me buy the cassette of her album, but I did and I liked it a great deal and as a consequence became more interested in Cohen's albums, eventually buying several of them to add to my music collection.

        In her rendition of "Joan of Arc", Warnes is joined by the composer himself, Leonard Cohen.  The recording is somewhat long so listening to the first couple of minutes will provide the gist of the song, but you might just like it so well that you will want to keep listening.  Give it a try...








Wally   "The Martyr"  (1974)

         Wally is a mostly forgotten and underrated prog rock band from the 1970's.  I first heard their song "The Martyr" in early 1975 on a radio station broadcasting from Johnson City TN.  The song immediately attracted me with the stately classically tinged violin solo that repeats throughout and then culminates into a dramatic prog rock closing. 
       
         Though I was living in a cabin in the mountains at the time (we had electricity so I could listen to music), first chance I had to drive down to Knoxville I went to a record store to purchase the vinyl LP which I still have to this day.

          As with the previous song, "The Martyr" is probably a bit long for some of you so you might want to just sample some of it.  If you don't feel compelled to listen to the entire track then get a sample of the beginning and then run forward to about 4:40 where they start rocking out a bit more.  Give it chance and see what you think...






Time to Vote!

         You don't have to be a martyr about this, but I hope you'll indulge us in listening to these two songs.   Which song version do you prefer?   Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.



Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘Storms and Stardust’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside 

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday March 23rd

          For those interested in Blogging from A to Z, don't forget that the Theme Reveal will be happening on Monday March 16th.  I'm not doing any special post for this as my theme is still kind of in the works.  In other words, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing.  On the sign up sheet I stated my theme as "Life Goals", but that might not be exactly right--kind of right, maybe, but maybe not exactly.   I might actually be winging it this year.  Kind of like I did the first year.  Still there should be a lot of A to Z participants who will have something to say for Theme Reveal Day.