The summer is gone and the winter weather is setting in. Some are frustrated that the sun is gone and that Christmas has not yet arrived; of course others are frustrated that the sun is gone and impending Christmas approaches (there must be some Scrooges out there). It’s times like this you need music to cheer you up as other media can’t. To that end I offer a selection.
Artie Shaw – Concerto For Clarinet (1937-1940)
Jazz is often seen as high-brow, and therefore out of reach. However, it needn’t be the case with the Concerto For Clarinet by Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky). In his obituary to the great man, Ron Atkins notes that “Shaw came relatively late to music, but studied it with ferocity”, and studied saxophone before turning to the clarinet. Becoming a noted big band leader in the USA in early Twentieth Century, is seems that the young mans tenacity more that payed off. Eventually he gave up on the profession, noting that “for me, the business part of music just plain stinks.” Here Art’s fingers feel cheeky and mischievous to the ear, demonstrating the virtuosity of a young man nearing the height of his prowess.
James Brown – People, get up and drive your funky soul (1973)
Nothing is allowed to compromise the groove in this tune. As a white, middle-class European it is difficult to say that with impunity, but, as I begin to dance in my chair, at the keyboard, it seems certain that if there were any tune viable to make you cocksure it would be this one. Other than its basic quality, it bears up to many listens as you can focus on any one of its many composite parts. From the drums, to the bass to the horn and everything in between, this track makes for a great time getting lost. It’s also the best part of Spider-Man 3 (2007), though the bar was low set as regards that film.
David Bowie – Golden Years (1976)
This song made many of our parents feel the joys of youth. So much so in fact that they recollect them when they hear it now. However, he is by no means confined to his original audience; Bowie’s fans are spread far and wide, and age has little (or naught) to do with it – though TV drama Life on Mars (2006-2007) might have. David Bowie is they kind of musician that is bound to make you ask yourself: “Why would I listen to anything else?”. Having had so many permutations and creative reincarnations (The Thin White Duke; Ziggy Stardust…) as to warrant a museum exhibition, fans can wait only to see what he’ll do next.
Noël Coward – Mad dogs and Englishmen (1931)
Although primarily known as an actor, director, screenwriter and playwright (as if that wasn’t enough), Noël Coward also enjoyed success as a singer-song-writer. For a man a bow this well stringed, not to mention a strong-minded approach to work, it is unsurprising that friends and colleagues affectionately called him The Master, as will no doubt please any Whovians reading. What is more the allusions don’t end there. On the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Coward confessed that where he stranded on the hypothetical land mass of the title the one record he could not dispense with would be The Hole in the Ground by Bernard Cribbins, with the reason that as he strolled across the sand he could translate it into French (yet another skill). Having unclasped this bit of Who trivia, I am cheered by the thought that friend, colleague, and Whovian in resident Ryan O’ Connor is somewhere beaming. And even when the smile is gone, I’ll still have Mad dogs and Englishmen, which invariably engenders a smile of my own.
Bob Marley – Is this Love? (1978)
When the weathers dismal it is galling to recall or imagine places that are better. Often you’ll only envy those in sunnier climes that you. Bob Marley is the exception. The lyrics and the instrumentals seem simple but they make for a song that’s entirely affecting for the entirety of its duration (just shy of 4 minutes). The song is about the simple pleasures and to that extent its not unsurprising that I hear it more and more as we near the festivities. It speaks of all the joys at hand and reminds of those to come.
The Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop (1976)
If anything is puts a smile on your face it’s rediscovering one’s youth. These fella’s are a feature of mine (early-mid-teens). Henry Rollins cites The Ramones as a major influence on his life and work, their discography is part of his workout music and inspire much of his own output. The songs are short and fast, in direct contrast to the music scene they were breaking into, where rock had become slow to the point of torpor. They injected adrenaline into a whole spate of young people, and do so even now. In these recalcitrant days of late Autumn having them on your MP3 is sure to stave off defeatism; you just carry on you way, step in time off the bus and into work.
Parliament – Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)
Not long ago I did a Music Monday featuring Red Hot Chilli Peppers and how their music video includes a clear nod to the influence Parliament and the album Mothership Connection (1975) in particular. So I cannot now pass up the chance to put a little George Clinton in here. That said, Parliament, naturally, was more that it’s front man. It started with 10 musicians and grew (indeed the number of past members is about 30, if not more!). From the same decade and similar genre as James Brown, this track is not comparable. The former track is rooted in this planet. Clinton’s outfit, as their titles, stage shows and stage outfits would suggest are looking up. it sounds otherworldly, and so is bound to lift you out of whatever mundane or tedious fix in which you find yourself in the lead up to the holidays.
