WHITLEY

I hadn't heard of this guy Whitley (aka Lawrence Greenwood)before but I heard this version of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" on Triple J breakfast segment like a version.

It really caught my attention. Enjoy!!

ADELAIDE

Well, despite my best intentions when starting this blog it has quite clearly fallen by the wayside and needs renewal. So, I finished the Dip. Ed. at the end of last year and am now teaching.

Anyhow time has since flown and it is now school holidays. Thus Chisa and I decided to go to Adelaide. The Ben Folds' song "Adelaide" got stuck in my head for a few days while we were there:- Quite a few people told me that Adelaide was crap and there was nothing to do there. However, I liked it.

Bradman was a toker.

A few interesting things have happened lately but this post I want to recount a dream that i had early this mornin'.  so, I was sitting on a train next to Australian comedian Peter Helliar  while Australia's greatest ever cricketer Don Bradman was giving a press conference to an eager throng of journalists, reporters, photographers and the like.  Apart from the press conference being held on a train,  I guess you could say that the dream resembled reality as i am sure that Bradman held many a media scrum hanging on his every word. He probably even held press conferences on ships, being a common form of transport to far flung touring destinations in Bradman's day.The train could just be a modernised version of this.  However, the topic of conversation, although not altogether uncommon in the lives of some sporting stars, was one that I reckon would have been unheard of in Bradman's halcyon days.  The topic- drugs, and Bradman wasn't ashamed of his personal use and even went as far as to say that cocaine use was a significant factor in his team's success while he boasted that he grew his own "spliff" and could roll with the best of them.  Helliar and I looked at each other in amazement.

*  The content of this dream in no way represents the life or lifestyle of the writer.  Seriously.

Nick Drake - Place to be

I haven't been a fan of Nick Drake for long, only 'bout a year or so but his wide recognition as one of the greatest acoustic artists of all time i will certainly not question.  The beauty of his masterful playing and understated voice are immediately evident.  Yesterday I was in the local library and spotted this on the shelf;

Published last year, it's the most up-to-date (if you can use that term for a posthumous biography)  account of Nick's short life.  So far (i'm about halfway through) it's as compelling as his music.  I think the song in the clip below (PLACE TO BE)  is a good representation of his introspective style.  The title of the biography is also taken from lyrics in this song.  It's from his third and final album "Pink Moon".  Enjoy!!

the first three

ok, it's the penultimate month of the year. these aren't new but these albums more than anything else have been the soundtrack to my year.

murder ballads
Many long tram rides were made bearable by listening to cave's illustrative musings on liquidation. I think about mortality a lot and these songs provided a pertinent reflective energy.









carnavas
This album was great from the very first listen and still does it.













and then nothing turned itself inside out

Beautiful, melodic, reflective music. This album was my constant aural companion for the first half of the year.