Finishing the sentence III

Every once in a while, in my ROAM (Remnants Of Abstract Minds) notebook, I'd rerun an unfinished sentence I'd created months or years earlier.  In January 1992, I asked people to respond to the following sentence and got more responses than ever.  Here is that sentence and some of the responses:

The best musical accompaniment for a picture perfect day is...

...David Bowie's "Sound and Vision." (Mary H.)

...David Sanborn's "Straight To The Heart" album. (Jonathan L.)

...My Bloody Valentine's "Only Shallow." (Katy W.)

...Enya's "Waterworks" album. (Sandi H.)

..."Englishman In New York" by Sting. (Todd W.)

..."Turbulence" by Eddie Harris. (Tony C.)

..."Misty" by John Coltrane or The Manhattan Transfer. (Colin S.)

..."Sweet Thing" by Van "The Man" Morrison. (Christina K.)

...Pat Metheny's "Are You Going With Me?" (Doug D.)

...the wonderful voice of Desmond Dekker in the background all the time! (Jenny O.)

...the sax behind James Brown's many hits. (Chip C.)

...Stevie Wonder's "Big Brother." (Cyndi A.)

..."In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. (Cindy D.)

...anything upbeat--Green Day, Big Star, maybe Neil Young. (Roberta M.)

...any song by Cat Stevens or Hound Dog Taylor. (Paul G.)

...everything by The Breeders. (Veronica D.)

...the "Peter Gunn" theme, because it's cool and the best music when you're out just having a good time. (Jason T.)

...Vivaldi's guitar concertos. (Jennie K.)

...Beethoven's "Pastoral" symphony. (Dana P.)

...Andres Segovia/Julian Bream's lute suites for Classical guitar. (Jenni S.)

...really good Classical music, although most legitimate Classical music is inherently good. (Errol K.)

..."Somewhere They Can't Find Me" by Simon & Garfunkel, if you happen to be a paranoid schizophrenic. (Miranda G.)

..."Aww, that tune!  How does it go?  Yeah, that's right.  You know it." (Michael M.)

Finishing the sentence II

I created the following unfinished sentence for my notebook, ROAM (Remnants Of Abstract Minds), during a 1994 visit to the college from which I graduated.  Here it is, along with some offbeat responses it elicited:

In the song, "You Can All Join In," Traffic sings, "Here's a little song you can all join in with.  It's very simple, and I hope it's new.  Make your own words up if you want to, any old words that you think will do."  If I were to join in this song, my lyrics would read something like...

..."I was feelin' blue before, but I'm feelin' better now.
I'm ridin' the cart, instead of pushin' the plow." (Anthony T.)

..."Lemon Jell-O, it be yellow.
Life is neat and can be sweet.
And with luck,
You won't f&*k it up!!  Man..." (Jeff T.)

...(Chorus) "Poop!  Oh, poop!  I've stubbed my toe." (Liz F.)

..."Let's go kick some firemen!
Let's go kick some firemen!
Let's go kick some firemen!
Oooooooooh..." (Rachel N.)

Finishing the sentence

In high school, college, and occasionally thereafter, I kept an ongoing creative writing notebook.  I called its early incarnations SUPALOCAN (Sarcasm Unlimited Plus A Lot Of Cynicism And Nonsense) but later changed its name to ROAM (Remnants Of Abstract Minds.)  Its main feature was "Finish The Sentence."  I would create an unfinished sentence and ask participants, whom I usually knew pretty well, to sign their names and complete the sentence.  This was one of my favorite sentences, due to the answers it elicited in 1992 and '93.  Each contributor's first name and last name initial is indicated in parentheses:

You know a critic's review will be wildly misguided (or pretentious) when the opening sentence reads...

..."In all the history of recorded music..." (Jon W.)  

..."I don't really like 'X' (pick a genre or band), but I'm going to review this album anyway." (Neil S.)

..."Let me tell you, every 'technohead' will have this one in their libraries..." (Robi S.)

..."The Beatles changed the face of music in 1964.  Now, in 1993, we are about to make a brand new change..." (Jeff B.)

..."The ethereal feel of the singer's voice is like a cupcake floating in whipped cream, and the guitar solo chain-smokes Camels." (Laura W.)

Online radio sampler highlights LV

Five of the better tracks heard Saturday night:

KCLC-HD2 (St. Louis, MO)

• Sunlight-The Youngbloods (Jesse Colin Young sings the refrain, "That's the way she feels about you," reassuringly to match his guitar strumming.  I miss playing Young's solo version of this on KNJZ.)

WBGO (Newark, NJ)

• It Never Entered My Mind-Miles Davis Quintet (One of the best, most resonant Davis covers; this is a sublime 1956 version of the Richard Rodgers tune.  Red Garland conveys the tune's warmth movingly on the piano.)

WBOM (Rockford, IL)

• Come With Me-Tania Maria (Breezy Brazilian vocals from 1982 that would fit easily into a smooth jazz format between Al Jarreau and George Benson tunes.)
• Stay Faithful-Lynden David Hall (Elements of Al Green's voice are easy to detect in Hall's vocals here.  Conceivably, this could fit into a smooth jazz playlist.)

WCDB (Albany, NY)

• Saint Simon-The Shins (Impressively layered backing vocals underscore good lyrics about not overthinking things.)

An overlooked cover tune XXV

If you think of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," you probably think of the B.J. Thomas hit.  Although it's a strong, definitive version of the tune, Nancy Wilson's version deserves its due, as well.  Wilson sings it as a contemplative jazz/easy listening number, which suits the lyrics.  Instrumentally, her version is a winner, as well.  The piano underscoring matches the eloquence of Wilson's vocals, and the piano intro brings to mind Richard Harris's "MacArthur Park."  The closing trumpet notes are par for the course in a Hal David-Burt Bacharach arrangement.  Mix those ingredients together, and you have a 1970 cover version that deserves airplay.

FM dial scan highlights LXXVII

Standouts heard on Thursday:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Use Me-Bill Withers (An ear-catching keyboard intro, memorable lyrics, and some of the most attention-getting vocals I've heard from Withers; this is one of his best songs.  It's a shame radio stations only play it once in a great while.)
• Suspicious Minds-Dee Dee Warwick (Best known in its Elvis Presley incarnation, Warwick's emotive vocals show that the tune works as well or even better as R&B.)
• The Edge-David McCallum (This was playing as I drove to the recycling center.  Its wild west showdown vibe affected my outlook.  I wondered what I'd do if all the bins were full.  Would I have to challenge one or more of the center's negligent workers to a duel at 10 paces?  Fortunately, there was space in the bins, so I didn't have to resort to anything so drastic.  It's interesting, though, how a "High Noon"-style instrumental can shape your mindset.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Who's That Lady-Joe Friedman (The Isley Brothers hit, reinvented as a straight ahead stroll for guitar; if I heard this during a concert soundcheck, I'd know I was in for an evening of good jazz.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Older And Taller-Regina Spektor (Life wears you down sometimes.  Spektor captures this sentiment effectively, giving weariness and good lyrics such as, "'Enjoy your youth' sounds like a threat," a surprisingly jaunty bounce.  Her performance of this on the January 7 edition of "A Prairie Home Companion" was particularly impressive.  I'd be curious to hear how the band Hem would cover this.)

1982 memories, 2017 reality

In a previous post, "How my radio career began," I wrote about the first radio show I created on February 22, 1982.  Although the tape of it is no longer playable, I paused to remember that day today by playing two songs I played on that first show 35 years ago--The Police's "Spirits In The Material World" and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" by The Commodores.  While listening to those same 45s I'd bought all those years ago, I thought about how music and radio fascinate me today as much as they did then.  Over the past 35 years, I've heard a wealth of great music in so many different genres, and I've been lucky enough to play some of it on the air.

After reminiscing, I snapped back to present day reality.  Unfortunately, the song I played next, Midnight Oil's "My Country," felt disturbingly appropriate in today's political climate.  (One lyrical example: "I hear you say the truth must take a beating, the flag a camouflage for your deceiving...")  I'm thankful for the 35 years of interest I've had in music and radio, but I'm concerned about what might happen to this world during my next 35 years--if I'm fortunate enough to live that long.