Vinyl for The People Radio Show – What’s Going On – Episode 5

What’s Going On?

That has been my question since November of last year, but you won’t find a rant about the presidency here.

You will find music that was written to inspire and console, these tracks that have etched themselves into my aural memory as a playlist for all of the things going on in the world today.

Tony Bennett – Trouble’s A Bubble

Starting out light-hearted with this one, which echoes the sentiment that this too will pass.  I’m a sucker for the crooner, and this track gives me optimism.

Erykah Badu – Penitentiary Philosophy.

When Mama’s Gun released in November 2000, it was one of those albums that were always in rotation at home. The first track off the album set the tone of what was to come from Erykah. Overall a timeless album.

The Beetles – Come Together.

Speaking of timeless, Abby Road can’t be erased from the memories of generations. The song was originally commissioned to be a campaign song for Timothy Leary in his campaign for California Govoner against Richard Nixon. Lennon couldn’t get the song to…come together,  and they scrapped the project. The slogan, “Come Together, Join The Party” inspired Lennon and, in a 1980 interview with Playboy (RIP Hugh Heffner) he said: “The thing was created in the studio. It’s gobbledygook….” I guess we all like gobbledygook. To read the interesting article I got the info about Come Together, click here.  

Goapele – Closer.

I first heard Goapele on a Mix CD by DJ Topspin, a local Seattle DJ. I was out on a date, and he was spinning some serious R&B. I bought one of his mixes and shortly after bought Goapele – Even Closer. A motivational down tempo regular found in a several of my playlists.

Durand Jones & The Impressions – Make A Change.

The sound of the group is straight out of the 60’s, but the song message is relevant today. We do need to make a change. In case you didn’t get that, it’s repeated for emphasis.

Carole King – You’ve Got a Friend.

Carole King’s Tapestry is an album that I’ve been listening to before I was born. My mother played it a lot during her pregnancy, and the first time I heard it in my adult life, I found myself instantly drawn to her. It doesn’t hurt that she made beautiful music. In times like these, we all need a friend and I’m glad to have this album to warm me up with the world can be so cold.

“Be The Change You Want To See…”

The quote above was not from the hand of Gandhi, but rather a paraphrasing that fits on a bumper sticker.  The phrase it was smashed from is, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”

We all can change something, starting with ourselves.

Immortal Technique  – Leaving The Past

Leaving The Past is one of Technique’s more radio-friendly songs. I’ve loved his first two albums, (Revolutionary Vol. 1 and 2) since the first time I heard them. I didn’t care as much for the mixtape style delivered in The 3rd World, but such is the progression of an artist.

Robert Glasper Experiment – Let It Ride (featuring Norah Jones)

Black Radio 2 was slept on, but not as much as the original Black Radio. This track caught me off guard during my listening. Initially, I wondered where it was going and then; Norah. It’s not uncommon to find Norah Jones featured across several genres, hearing her here with the Experiment was a treat I would love to have had live.

Gregory Porter  ‎–  Painted On Canvas

I put this song in to break up the tone of the show. I agree with Gregory; we get shaped by our interactions with others. This album has some gems on it, from the title track, Be Good (Lion’s Song), On My Way To Harlem, and the first track on the album Painted on Canvas.

Norah Jones ‎ – My Dear Country

This song is so relevant to the past election, though it is written referring to the possible reelection of G. W. Bush. It holds even more true of our sitting president. Like Norah, I’m glad I have a platform to share my views freely.

Marvin Gaye ‎– Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

To let this show come to an end and not have Marvin Gaye would be amiss. Marvin was a big part of my adolescence and finds himself at home in my collection. This song needs no explanation.

Show Recordings

 

Don’t forget to tune in to the show live on 89.1 FM KNSJ from 10 PM to 11 PM PST on Thursday.  You can stream the show at www.knsj.org or use the TuneIn App

As always keep spinning,

Tom

I hope you enjoyed this post, to receive updates from Vinyl for The People delivered to your e-mail, subscribe here!  Don’t forget to follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Vinyl for The People Radio Show – Love and Other 4 Letter Words – Episode 4

L-O-V-E.

This episode is what I find to be a soundtrack of the ups and downs of a relationship. What’s funny is I think we all can relate to the stages of a relationship. I chose the following songs to represent my understanding.  By the way, clicking the album covers will take you to Amazon to purchase the album.

 

Esperanza Spalding – Junjo, from the album of the same name and it immediately sets the tone for the 1st half of the show. They playful bass and the piano invoke the feelings of young love. It’s played loosely and fast-paced, but yields room for silence and quiet passages. Which demonstrate the periods of reflection one takes in the early days of a relationship, determining where it’s going.

John Coltrane – In A Sentimental Mood. It’s starting to get serious. There are profound moments and thoughts, and you start to wonder the staying power of your chosen partner in crime, but it seems pretty infallible. You’re making beautiful music.

Adele – Lovesong. If John Lennon doesn’t spell it out for you; you’re in love. The song does an excellent job professing the unyielding fealty that only a British singer could convey. If I had Lennon’s version on vinyl, it would have been on the show in place of Adele.

Isley Brothers – Hello It’s Me. Now that Love has filled the air, it can be a bit stifling. Growing pains from adapting to fit into the lives of one another, experimenting with new hobbies, foods, and people. The change isn’t why you were attracted, and the resentment of change can drive you apart. Ron Isley said it best, “don’t change, girl.” But guys should keep that in mind too.

Daft Punk – Nightvision. The introspective thoughts don’t go away, and you may wonder if you’re making the right decisions. This train of thought takes you to the second half of our show.

 

D-A-M-N.

Alabama Shakes – Miss You. Unfortunately for this couple, the uncertainty we left them in before the break ended the love affair. Now we reunite with them in denial. This song starts out slow but quickly ramps up the energy. There’s uncertainty in the lyrics and guitar, but the sentiment that I’m yours is made loud and clear. In the end, though, the fact of the matter is. I’m yours.

Miles Davis – So What. After the last track yielded no success, we move on to indifference, finding our subject in the heart of The Cool. Past love is just that, a fleeting memory we’ve carried on our journey to something better. Undergoing a period of self-dialogue and discovery; it’s an epiphany that our past doesn’t define our future. Cheers to new experiences.

The Weeknd – The Knowing. This track finds our subject inebriated on their favorite intoxicant. Drunk dialing. Sad, and indifferent in the midst of what could have been a good time. Melancholic memories drive the distressed guitar and pounding rhythm.

Maxwell – The Fall.  After that bender from the last track, the drunk dial yields a reply in the opening verse.  This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and one that took a few listenings to appreciate all of the lyrics.  I find the vinyl version has a better mix than the digital, as a result, I don’t stream this album.  

Days go by slowly
I never know wholly
I see what you owe me
You never realize
That everything changes
And everything moves
And nothing is as it
Was when you lose

and our subject responds

Wait, wait, wait
Wait
Waiting for the…
Forgive me for waiting so long
For taking the time to rise and destroy
I was avoiding the thing that I…
I can’t feel you

And on that bombshell…we are right back where we started.

New/old Love…

Esperanza Spalding – One. Not lacking in love, nor haunted by its pain…our subject has discovered again that love is marvelous. That’s the great thing about love. It surrounds us, even in this time steeped in hatred, bigotry, and pretend. Love can be authentic if you let it.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the show, and I look forward to sharing tunes with you every Monday night from 11 PM to 12 AM on 89.1 KNSJ here in San Diego, streaming at www.knsj.org, and available on your smart device using the Tune In App.

Leave your thoughts in the comments, and let me know what songs you would use to describe the phases of a relationship. I would love to read them.

Don’t forget to tune in to the show live on 89.1 FM KNSJ from 10 PM to 11 PM PST on Thursday.  You can stream the show at www.knsj.org or use the TuneIn App.

Show Recordings

 

 

 

Don’t forget to tune in to the show live on 89.1 FM KNSJ from 10 PM to 11 PM PST on Thursday.  You can stream the show at www.knsj.org or use the TuneIn App

As always keep spinning.

Tom

I hope you enjoyed this post, to receive updates from Vinyl for The People delivered to your e-mail, subscribe here!  Don’t forget to follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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