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

Hi Big Red,

I've just been listening to Blaze of Glory, and two things occur to me:

1) Just how amazing is the fade from the brass at the end of 'Down to London' into the lush strings at the beginning of 'Sentimental Thing'....? *sigh*

and

2) What does an American Joe Jackson fan think of the lyrics to 'Evil Empire'?

Hi! I knew it was you, just from the subject line.

I listened to "Blaze of Glory" (the album, not the single) one or twice when it first came out and never since, so I'm at a disadvantage.

What does he say about "Evil Empire"?

By the way, the more I listen to "Volume 4," the more I *love* Joe's drummer. What he does -- especially on "Take It Like a Man," which is my favorite on the album -- is just amazing. Creative and tasteful.

It's just very anti-American to me. And creepily portentious when you consider it was written 15 years ago....

Volume 4 is a cracker indeed. I love Awkward Age and Dirty Martini (brings back New Orleans memories!) but you're right, that rhythm section really does some good work there

"Anti-American." Funny, because he had already moved here by then. But you certainly can live here -- even be born here -- and be driven mad by some of what the government does. (Like now! Like today at the U.N.! Don't get me started.)

I am a rhythm-section fan anyway. Always have loved the bass and drums. It's mostly why I admire the songcraft of Motown even though I'm not wild about the slickness of many of their performers. (I'm talking about 40 years ago, for the most part.)

On "Big World," he wrote a very America-sympathetic song called "Forty Years Ago." Do you know it?

Yeah. I always just saw it as a commemorative song for WW2 though. There's just no pleasing some folks!!

I'd recommend giving Blaze of Glory another go - it's probably my favourite of his. Evil Empire lyrics can be found at http://www.mondaypapers.com/blazeglory/evilempire.html

I've just put Volume 4 on, and that first track sure is totally driven by the drums. There's a hollow, live sound to them you don't hear very much these days.........

"That's just what Jesus said, sir!" (re "no pleasing some people," from Python's "Life of Brian")

Re "Forty Years," lyrics say to me that everyone appreciated the U.S. for World War II, but that was 40 years ago. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Anyway, he balanced it out with "Jet Set," which got even funnier to me after I'd actually traveled abroad.

Re. 'Forty Years' Hmmm. That last verse definately says 'the British are nasty about Americans, but they forget what they did forty years ago'. But the verse before is about Americans being nasty to Europeans, so I for me it's sort of a 'why do we hate one another, when 40 years ago we fought together?' idea.

There are a lot of references in there to differing attitudes on either side of the Atlantic - I guess having lived on both shores he is in a position to write about it. Clever lyrics. Of course!

Actually that whole album reminds me of my time in Singapore - dropping shrimps into yellow wine... eating them when they stop moving .

I just checked out "Evil Empire" lyrics and a granola-crunchy co-worker who wandered by read them too and said hear hear!

I think they're brill. I was so nauseated during the '80s Reagan years I could hardly stand it. I was shocked and horrified by almost everything the government did. Now I have deja vu.

"Granola-crunchy co-worker" ??

Sorry, slang. Lefty, tree-hugger, vegetarian, pinko, all those (not so)complimentary terms for someone who's left-leaning, environmentally conscious, natural fiber wearing, etc. I'm just teasing, though, not putting down those folks.

Add 'Swampy' - a generic nickname here for such people .

Hey, as long as they don't expect me to stand in front of bulldozers and live on lentils, go for it.

You got your own back on us for using British slang!!

In California, some folks go *live* in trees that are to be cut down. One woman lived in a tree for months.

Of course, California is simply packed with granola crunchers. Have you ever been?

No. I've always managed to avoid it

It's a fascinating place. One of the things I've experienced in L.A. that has never happened to me anywhere else is that perfect strangers will just start talking to you on the street or in an elevator. It's weird if you're not used to it.

San Francisco is a *beautiful* city. We spent our honeymoon there and also our 10th anniversary. Gotta go again for our 20th. (Three years away.) Northern California is very different from the southern part.

Just remember:

Life's a bitch and then you die
There's nothing you can do about it
Anything you steal or buy
You're gonna be leaving here without it

Take what you want, just what you need - for survival!



Speaking of portentious lyrics - I've just been listening to Marillion's 'Brave', written in 1994:

"The cold war's gone, but those b*st*rds will find us another one...."

Boy, were they ever right! Amazing.