Today was an interesting hodgepedge of musical goodness. Early Tom Waits, scales, a bit of the hard rock stuff, and my first exposure to Glee. There's some part of me that doesn't even know where to start in on that conglomeration of stuff, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
When I said that it was early Tom Waits, I meant it. Like, debut album early. Waits has long been one of those musicians that I needed to hear more of. My first exposure to his music was through an old college friend who was obsessed with Small Change. It was remembering his raving about Waits that got me, a few years later, to pick up that album. "Invitation To The Blues" was the song that had fired my friend's adoration of Tom Waits, and while that's one of the great songs on that record, I'm also partial to "Tom Traubert's Blues," and "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)." The whole record is great, mind you, but those were my starting points. I picked up Orphans a few years later, and while it was great, there was a lot to digest in that collection.
That said, it was interesting to go back to his first album. On listening to it today, I was reminded a bit of Springsteen's first record. As it happens, both Closing Time and Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. were released in '73.
As for the scales and the hard rock stuff, that I picked away at while watching Glee. I'm still not sure what I think of that show. It's kind of fun, and the musical numbers are pretty spectacular, but I'm having trouble connecting to the High School aspect of it. Part of that, I'm sure, is that I've been out of high school for 12 years now. Oh, and Jane Lynch's character is amazing, she's cold and snarky and dynamic in a way that only House has been in the last ten years or so. It's easy to see why people love this show, and it's easy to see why everyone recommended it to me, but I don't know yet whether or not it's my cup of tea. Back to the electric and the notebook I go.
When I said that it was early Tom Waits, I meant it. Like, debut album early. Waits has long been one of those musicians that I needed to hear more of. My first exposure to his music was through an old college friend who was obsessed with Small Change. It was remembering his raving about Waits that got me, a few years later, to pick up that album. "Invitation To The Blues" was the song that had fired my friend's adoration of Tom Waits, and while that's one of the great songs on that record, I'm also partial to "Tom Traubert's Blues," and "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)." The whole record is great, mind you, but those were my starting points. I picked up Orphans a few years later, and while it was great, there was a lot to digest in that collection.
That said, it was interesting to go back to his first album. On listening to it today, I was reminded a bit of Springsteen's first record. As it happens, both Closing Time and Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. were released in '73.
As for the scales and the hard rock stuff, that I picked away at while watching Glee. I'm still not sure what I think of that show. It's kind of fun, and the musical numbers are pretty spectacular, but I'm having trouble connecting to the High School aspect of it. Part of that, I'm sure, is that I've been out of high school for 12 years now. Oh, and Jane Lynch's character is amazing, she's cold and snarky and dynamic in a way that only House has been in the last ten years or so. It's easy to see why people love this show, and it's easy to see why everyone recommended it to me, but I don't know yet whether or not it's my cup of tea. Back to the electric and the notebook I go.
Comments
Post a Comment