As the spring breezes become warmer, carrying the scent of the ocean to my door (okay, I live inland in the Northeast, but I can dream, can't I?), I find myself listening the music of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
A native Hawaiian, Kamakawiwo'ole (known also as simply Iz) died in 1997 at the age of 38. They flew the Hawaiian flag at half-mast on the day of his funeral, which was attended by around ten thousand of his fans. Fortunately for us music fans, Iz left behind a musical legacy that incorporates traditional Hawaiian music with other styles, such as reggae and jazz.
Perhaps the best known of all Iz's songs is Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World. It's a great mix of the two songs, just vocals and the ukulele. Doesn't sound like it'd work, but it does.
As you can see in the video, Iz was a big fellow. But the biggest thing about him was his talent.
Sometimes you're walking through a store, and something you had no intention of buying leaps out and catches your eye. That's what happened to me couple of year with Kerli's album Love Is Dead.
I freely admit that it was the cover art on the CD that first got my attention. It's pretty cool, sort of folk art meets goth. And better still, it was on sale! I decided to take the plunge and buy it even though I'd never heard of her. And I'm glad I did.
Love Is Dead starts out with the title track:
Don't worry, she gets less scary looking as the video goes on.
That song sets the tone for the whole album; it's kind of like goth Gaga. And it works.
As of this writing, Love Is Dead is the only album Kerli has released. There are some videos she's made in a style she calls "bubble goth"- personally, I prefer her earlier style.
ELO was my band in high school. While everybody else was into AC/DC and Led Zepplin, I was into this classical influenced rock band from Britain. I always did march to my own beat (literally)!
Of course, I was (am) hardly the world's only ELO fan. They were really popular during the '70's and had a lot of hits. My first ELO album was A New World Record; it's their best, in my opinion, and I still get it out and give it a spin today. That album was one of 12 I got from good old Columbia House. For those of you too young to remember Columbia House, it was a mail-order business that sold albums. You could get 12 albums for a penny for the first order, then you had to buy so many at the regular (inflated) price over a certain period of time. Got several good albums doing that.
"Don't Bring Me Down" is probably the best known today of ELO's songs. Like a lot of their music, it's a very catchy and upbeat song.
That video was from a more recent (semi)reunion concert. The one below is an earlier one, for Mr. Blue Sky.
There certainly was a lot of hair going on at that point!
Many hairstyles later, they were still making great music. And as every ELO fan knows, their music can chase the blues away. It's like my favorite line in "Tightrope" " ...somebody had thrown me down a line, stopped me drownin'".
Seeing that this is a brand-new blog, I thought it'd be appropriate to start off with my first ever favorite song. I mean a real rock and roll song, not a kiddie song. It was George Harrison's "What Is Life".
I can remember waiting and waiting for that song to come on the (AM!) radio. I was too little to have any money to buy the 45 at this point, so I was at the mercy of the DJ. Lots of commercials, lots of other songs, and then at last! My song. My little heart would leap, and I would start dancing. That was the start of a long love affair with music.
I'm still a George Harrison fan-I always think his music was underrated compared to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. George's music definately has a flavor all it's own.
Personal Faves:
What Is Life
My Sweet Lord
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (while with the Beatles)