James' Blog

Now I own the fact that I am a weather wimp.  I grew up on the beaches of NC and I will not even try to drive if there is snow or ice on the road in front of my home.  I know I can't turn into the slide (or whatever you're supposed to do when your car starts sliding besides cussing).  So I wasn't bothered in the least when Obama mentioned that those of us in the DC area are weather wimps.  Hand up....ah....yeah.   But what stunned me about that story making the news was that no one commented on the fact that Obama has been a 4 year sitting senator in DC.  This isn't his first winter here or snowfall.   How is it that he doesn't ALREADY know that those of us in the DC area are weather wimps?  I was somewhat taken aback that this was news to him. 

In the late 80s before CDs came out, I made cassette tapes of all of the vinyl 45s that I had.  No one played singles anymore even if they did play albums.   Then after software came out turn music into digital files, I took the time to convert every cassette that I had made, and then separate out each song and make it its own MP3.  This was back when it was very hard to find digital music anywhere.  Then as I could buy clean digital versions of the songs, I did, since some of the songs had those horrible vinyl play sounds on them from the record player needle.  So I have long ago replaced almost all of those songs.  However, some are so rare that I've never found them digitially.  I can buy a whole CD but I don't do that anymore.  I just want the song.   This is one of the rare ones that isn't on itunes or any other sites that I know of.   From way back in the early 70s.   It was her only hit.   The Lord's Prayer by Sister Janet Mead.  For those who have never heard the song before, it is a rock song, not some gospel version.

Lord's Prayer

Sister Janet Mead

I just can't get Amy Winehouse's new album out of my head.  The retro style is great.  But the lyrics are impressive also.   I'm really taken with this tune especially.  

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

One of the singers that I come back to again and again.   Here's one of Bonnie Raitt's best.

Nick Of Time

Bonnie Raitt

Another gotta play loud song.  This one I have to move to -- a great dance song.   But the lyrics are kicking also.

Hey Ya

Outkast

Something to counter the gotta play loud songs.  Again, a 90's tune that I love.

Round Here

Counting Crows

In honor of supposedly the last really warm day of this year.

Walking On Sunshine

Katrina & The Waves

I had a flashback to 1975 today while biking on the wooded bike trails around my home.   I was coming around a corner and there was a teenager around 13 years old squatted on the bike trail, taking a drag from weed and just chilling.  His hair was shoulder-length & straight; he wore boot cut jeans and a gray tee shirt.   The smell of the weed and the scene in front of me immediately took me back to 1975.  He looked just like we used to back then.  And a tune from that time popped into my head.

Sister Golden Hair

America

I love the primitive sound to this tune.  I liked the whole album.   The song makes me think of dance and in my mind I see dance through the ages as the song plays--starting from now going back to a primitive past.  The middle has this formal, structured sound where I picture wigged dancers doing waltzes.   For me the song is about how modern music has returned to its primitive, sexual origins.  Closer by Nine Inch Nails.

Closer

Nine Inch Nails