Walking Away

I was surprised when I saw a news story today that Sony has ceased production of the cassette Walkman. Surprised because I assumed this happened years ago. Almost 9 years to the day after Apple introduced us to the iPod, Sony has finally thrown in the towel. The Sony Walkman was not an overnight success. Introduced in 1979 in Japan, it failed to make much headway initially and it was considered to be a strange idea to walk around town listening to your tunes. However, despite media criticism, Sony persevered and ultimately sold 200 million units over the next 30 years.

I bought one similar to that in the picture in 1981 or thereabouts. The headphones had bright orange earpads and, if you were going to be out for more than a few hours, the bulky extra battery pack was a necessity. Measuring about 5 x 3 inches and with a capacity of about 90 minutes on a standard cassette,it is certainly a far cry from the latest iPod Nano which is about 1 inch square and can hold around 200 hours of music.

Although Sony subsequently lost it's way in the portable music player market, those of us who enjoy music on the move owe a debt to the company and it's co-founder, the late Akio Morita, for persevering with what was considered at the time to be an outlandish product.

Wrong!

"A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people. OK – the country is full of very angry people. Many of us are angry people at times. Some of us are angry and drunk. But the so-called citizen journalism is the spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night."

These were the words of wisdom of Andrew Marr, a Scottish journalist, author and broadcaster in a speech at the Cheltenham Literature Festival recently. He was giving a talk about how modern technology is rapidly changing the way people receive news and current affairs information.

I enjoy Andrew's work but I think he is very wrong to take such a misguided pot shot at the world of bloggers. As a relatively new blogger, let me answer these charges head on:-

Socially inadequate : possibly after too many drinks but, en route, the life and soul
Pimpled : 30 years ago, perhaps. Not now.
Single : not since 1989
Slightly seedy : certainly not!
Bald : OK, guilty!
Cauliflower-nosed : No
Young : Sadly, no
Ranting : During working hours only
Angry : See ranting
Very drunk: Occasionally, however, I would never drink and blog.

So Andrew, please don't tar all bloggers with the same brush. And I look forward to hearing the feedback from the cauliflower-nosed fraternity on those ears of yours...

Remembering John Lennon

Regardless of where you happened to be over the weekend, I am sure you would have been reminded that it marked the 70th birthday of John Lennon. It is, indeed, hard to believe it is almost 30 years since John was shot dead at point blank range outside the Dakota Building in his beloved New York City, robbing the music world of one of it's most exceptional talents.

I was barely out of short trousers when the Beatles hit their stride in 1966/67 with Revolver and Sgt.Pepper but I have never had much doubt it was John's contribution that lifted them into legendary status.

John was always controversial and his solo career ebbed and flowed. During this period, he is probably best remembered for the much loved and many times covered "Imagine",the anti-war "Give Peace A Chance" and the bed-in for peace at the Amsterdam Hilton. However, for me, his most powerful song was "Working Class Hero" from his first post-Beatles recording - 1970's "Plastic Ono Band". Not a radio favourite due to it's acerbic and unprintable lyric, it has stayed in the memory for so long. Here is a sample:-

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV,
And you think you're so clever and classless and free,
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see,
A working class hero is something to be,
A working class hero is something to be.
There's room at the top they are telling you still,
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,
If you want to be like the folks on the hill,
A working class hero is something to be.
A working class hero is something to be.
If you want to be a hero well just follow me,
If you want to be a hero well just follow me.

The following clip is a great compilation of images of John's life. Strangely, John was the one Beatle who was brought up in what was regarded then as a middle class household. As the Americans would say, go figure.....

Vinyl Revival

In the end, the temptation proved too much. Seduced by the surprisingly large number of outlets selling new and 2nd hand vinyl records in Singapore, I finally succumbed and purchased a nice new shiny turntable, the first one I have had for over 20 years. Yes, there are many easier ways of listening to music these days, however, it is a great nostalgia trip to see a record spinning on the deck and enjoy the warmth of the sound, notwithstanding the odd snap, crackle and pop on the older versions.

What has been most interesting is the unearthing of some long forgotten records which I had brought with me to Asia from Europe in 1987. The turntable has therefore become the 70's and 80's time machine - the forum for artists like the Average White Band, Luther Vandross and the Isley Brothers. There is a lot of soul music and I had forgotten that the younger version of me was very into the Sound of Philadelphia.

Of course, there are also a few embarrassing ones, but I'm not telling......

A Week of Musical Contrasts

Over here at Musings Towers, we like to embrace a broad church. On our first day back from holiday last week, we went to the Slash concert at Fort Canning Park with around 7,000 other like minded souls. From the teenagers at the front (including our two) to the older crowd from the Guns 'N' Roses days at a safer distance, there were no complaints as I am sure this was one of the best rock concerts Singapore has ever seen. The energy generated from the stage was remarkable and the guest singer, Myles Kennedy, proved himself to be one of the great rock frontmen with an energetic performance and a soulful voice not unlike David Coverdale's in Deep Purple's heyday in the early 70's. Our kids thought it was "awesome" whilst even I was moved to utter the word "epic." It will stay in the memory for a long time.

In stark contrast, almost a week later, was a hastily arranged visit to see Belle & Sebastian at the Esplanade Concert Hall, a great venue near the Singapore waterfront. For the uninitiated, Belle & Sebastian are a 7 piece Scottish "indie" band formed in Glasgow in 1996 with a cult following all over the world. With a sound described as wistful by some and twee by others, their appeal is indeed diverse. A recently announced concert in Mexico, for example, has sold out and the Singapore concert was attended by a wide cross section of the population. Of the two ladies sitting beside me, one was from Japan and the other from California. They, like most of the people around us, seemed to know the words of most of the songs performed. Augmented by a local string quartet, this was an exceptional concert complete with audience participation on a few songs and some good natured if poorly executed dancing on stage!

There is plenty of YouTube footage on both concerts but it is of the poorly shot, shaky hand variety. For a better idea of the quality of these acts, try these....

Neil Finn

Can it be true that when Paul McCartney was once asked what it felt like to be the world's greatest living songwriter, he replied "I'm not, Neil Finn is" or words to that effect? Fact or fiction, there is no denying that Neil is one of the very best songwriters of his generation. I have followed his career on and off since I first heard "I Got You" an early Split Enz recording from 1980 which received a lot of radio airplay in the UK and was an international hit.

Since then, there has been Crowded House, some solo albums, The Finn Brothers and now Crowded House again. Notwithstanding Neil's re-invention with a very dodgy moustache, the latest Crowded House album "Intriguer"contains some gems. There may be nothing to rival "Don't Dream It's Over" or "Weather With You" but there are not many of his contemporaries writing songs as strong as "Amsterdam" or "Falling Dove." For anyone in any doubt about Neil's enormous contribution to popular music, here are a few reminders. The first is the aforementioned classic "Don't Dream It's Over", followed by the lesser known "Won't Give In", an excellent inspirational song dealing with Neil's family problems which was recorded with his brother Tim.

Americano?

We must indeed be leading a sheltered life in Singapore. We have just spent a couple of weeks in Melbourne and surrounds enjoying the colder weather, a change in pace and a selection of nightlife. Within the space of of a few hundred yards, we enjoyed the full throttle rock bands of The Esplanade in St. Kilda and the ambience of a kitsch piano bar where we left the proprietor punching the air as his keyboard man performed The Four Seasons' December '63 (Oh What A Night). Elsewhere, on the car radio, on the TV and booming out of shop fronts was...We No Speak Americano.!

It was only when we got back to Singapore that I realized the "creators" of this very catchy tune are a couple of Aussies known as Yolando Be Cool. Now a worldwide No.1 including the U.K., I was wondering why it was so familiar. Of course, it is a heavily sampled version of an old 1950's Italian song by Renato Carosone. I first encountered this song in one of my favourite movies directed by the late Anthony Minghella, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" where Jude Law and Matt Damon performed "Tu Vuo' Fa L'Americano" in a memorable scene in an Italian jazz club. Whilst I am sure there are many Italian jazz purists unimpressed by this new version becoming a worldwide hit, I think there will also be lots of listeners feeling compelled to investigate the origins of the song and open up new horizons. Isn't it just great that an old Italian jazz song is now so familar all over the world thanks to a young Australian duo? Even if it does become irritating after a while....