Ria Bartok: J'y Pense Tout Bas (ESRF, 1965)42 years - and about 6000 miles - separate these two records. But one much more important thing unites them and that is their unhurried pleasure, the way they immediately create their own world and demand that you either live in it now or you push off somewhere else, sharpish. Of course, you stay put. Well, we're not stupid, are we?
Anyway, I knew nothing about Ria Bartok until about three days ago. This is developing into a bit of a theme, isn't it? Merry in my innocence I was. Then I recieved this. It is stuffed with great pop moments, but there's just something about Ria B and this song that makes me think that 42 years ago wasn't that long ago at all.
Then I watch this and it seems like a very long time ago indeed.
Dinosaur Jr: We're Not Alone (PIAS, 2007)So, Dinosaur Jr. Rather like The Waterboys they seem to have hit a particularly brilliant patch 20 odd years into their, if you will, career. The thing that I love about We're Not Alone is that it's clearly Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl rewritten for people who've spent the last couple of decades eating toast in bed with their socks on, too lazy to even open the curtains. This sort of behaviour seems very attractive to me now that I'm in a place in my life where I'll probably never eat toast in bed with my socks on again - curtains closed or open.
Enjoy!
3 comments:
That Dinosaur Jr track is as good as anything they've done, I'd say. Must admit, I don't really hear Brown Eyed Girl in there though. I heard a Nilson track (All I Think About is You) on Radio 2 yesterday, which I was convinced was Richard Hawley covering the Jim'll Fix It theme tune until Jeremy Vine put me right.
Hey Broken Horse
Nice to have you around. You can't hear BEG? It rips off the intro completely! Agreed on the D Jr point tho - some of the stuff on the new album is among the best they've ever done...
Rob, I've re-listened to them both and yes, you're right the intro is pretty much BEG. I was fortunate to see DJR way back in 1987 supporting (the then pretty good) Primal Scream. Funny how Lou Barlow has aged about two weeks whilst J Mascis is now completely grey.
Idea for a WORD feature, Jumping the Shark (look at the wikipedia entry). I only discovered this saying this week and It's now my ambition to crow bar it into to any conversation about music I have.
cheers, Alun (broken horse)
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