h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Don't forget the same black population moving to Detriot - Motown (bad speliing maybe)Some truly great sounds came out of there

Oh, I couldn't *possibly* forget Detroit. But that was the next stop, after Chicago. The American proletariat - ie. the African-Americans - first migrated to support the beef industry in Chicago. Later the demand was from the steel and automotive industries in Michigan.

>>Not really. That's the thing with pop, you see, it doesn't really need any more justification than "I like this".

Can you justify that opinion? No, you're absolutely right. De gustibus non disputandum an' a' tha'. On the other hand...if one can't be a dreadful pseud about music, what else can one be a pseud about?

Van 'the' Morrison's on Beeb4... I've seen him live about fifteen times and he's been superb about 10 of those - and sublime on a couple. The brief, perfectly timed hiatus between
And they gazed out on/ And they gazed out on/ And they gazed out on/ And they gazed out on...
and
Saint Dominic's Preview!
is the nearest I come to religious rapture.

Pity the auld curmudgeon's insisting on doing his new stuff.

On the other hand...he's covering some good C&W standards and his dobro player is pretty damn fine.

And bringing Georgie Fame on for Vanlose Stairway was a genius move.

All is forgiven!

Ed, have you ever checked out Leo Kottke?

Yes. Van did an album with him. And I've heard some of his solo stuff.

For some reason, Virgin are transmitting half their channels with subtitles. It's quite distracting to be told that Van is singing,
'Dja Dja dDa Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Nnn Eee Eee Eee Eee Eee Eee Eee Eee '

Been out of touch far too long in the wild woods, tres cool, thanks I
'll check it out via offspring who can down load. not with dail up, by the way dail up truly sucks

The big problem is that there really isn't any* 'US' music, in the same way there isn't any 'UK@ music.
Geographical boundrys are about as useful a method of defining and distinguishing between musical styles as doing in on the basis of what make the lead guitarists plectrum is.... Its all about musical styles, playing methodology, idology of the musitions etc, which isn't particularly geopolitically confined criteria hence why music genra don't really obey country-specific boundrys in the same way other things may
After all, the music all came from Africa if we go back enough steps in its evolution.

Van Morrison lives near us. He's a demon at grabbing parking spaces apparently.

>>After all, the music all came from Africa if we go back enough steps in its evolution.

Oh, you don't have to go far back. If you hear Ali Farka Toure or Toumani Diabate, you realise that the Blues is a Malian form. Going to Alabama with a banjo on your knee? The banjo originates from Western Africa.

Yeah but , some of us have more and different rythum-music than others. Sorry old musicians joke

>>Van Morrison lives near us



Recumbentman, if you know him (he doesn't come here often any more ) has had a couple of conversations with him. He also knows Sinead, who he says is the straightest person imagineable.

I like Sinead.
http://bonoboworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-pop-soft-spot.html

(that's 'straight' as in 'straight up'. Obviously she's a total pot head)

Hmm. Sinead's OK - a bit like Delores as you say, but without the melodies

Ed Check out Esthero. Great set of pipes, heard her first interviewed on CBC 1998 she was then 19 and just released her first CD very inovative and to my ear original.

Ah, but that's just it! The African-American artform doesn't rely on melody. That's obvious listening to Van. I'm not sure of the right musicological term for all his vocal tics - Delta Blues singers do the same. It's not quite colurata.

Best Live Van ever. With Bobby Bland (and Georgie Fame and Andy Fairweather Lowe and Chris Farlowe). Every time Van stepped up to the mic, having psyched himself up for one of his scats, Bobby would stop him, saying 'Easy now, boy!' By about the fifth time, Van was pissing himself.

I mean...nobody could accuse Dylan or Neil Young of melody.

Sorry Ed, Love-Zero no limmits one of my fav's

Niel Young's Harvest Moon, Ed both can and do write a plausibablly good POP melodies at times(did I mention I have trouble spelling at times)

I adore I've Been Waiting For You.

anancy...you misunderstand. I *adore* Bob and Neil. Who doesn't? So what if they can't sing? Neither can Robert Wyatt!