(pronounced lock-lin)

3 months is way too long. To my long-time readers, I deeply apologize to all 2 of you. I’ve been busy though. Quit a job, got a new one, survived yet another Michigan winter, and failed yet again at growing a vegetable garden. As much as I want to, I just don’t have a green thumb.

Interesting fact of the day: Persian verbs are identified by their past-tense form instead of their present tense. Why? Because past tense forms of the verb are regular, and present tense forms are usually way different from all the other forms of the verb. This would be analagous to a non-English speaker learning the verbs went, baked, and thought. Then having to learn that their present tense forms are go, bake and think.

Anyway, that’s the sort of thing that’s catching my interest these days. And Iran in general. I think it’s one of the most fascinating countries in the world and would love to visit someday.

In a previous incarnation of this blog, I did quite a bit of writing about the Grateful Dead. Much of it is still available on archive.org, and here are the shows I reviewed. I’m still pretty proud of the work I did then.

1. 5/8/80
2. 5/6/89
3. 2/14/68
4. 10/15/76
5. 8/24/72
6. 7/31/94
7. 2/26/81
8. 4/12/70
9. 4/16/78
10. 11/19/66
11. 3/30/87
12. 2/17/82

If any of the links above don’t work, it means archive.org has nuked the part of their database that contained them. Sorry about that. The music lives, though.

ESPN just had a graphic of odds someone put together on … what Bruce Springsteen’s first song will be at halftime. “Jungleland” came in at 20-1, and “Badlands” was 18-1. The overwhelming favorite was “Born in the USA” at 2-1. “Born to Run” was up there as well. Personally, I’m hoping for the entire Born to Run album. I mean come on, it’s not that long! And “Backstreets” would absolutely kill.

Last week it was Bitches Brew. Tonight I’m going to listen to Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience by chandlelight and with some red wine.

I know quite a few songs on this album already, but this will be the first time that I listen to it all the way through. I’m beginning to really like this method of introducing myself to music I should already know.

On the way home from the movies with my kids today, our local classic rock station played the following songs in succession:

1. “Under My Thumb” by the Rolling Stones
2. “Shattered” by the Rolling Stones
3. “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)” by the Rolling Stones
4. “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones

Once the third song started I was mildly concerned. When “Brown Sugar” came next I was genuinely worried. This sort of behavior on the part of a radio station can sometimes be a harbinger of bad news, and I was sure that karma/luck/drugs/other had finally caught up with Keith.

No DJ spoke after the 4 song run, and after the commercials they went into back-to-back songs by Whitesnake. I felt a little reassured, but I still checked the news outlets online once I got home.

While traversing the aisles with my cart, “Touch of Gray” by the Grateful Dead came on the in-store music speakers. I think it was preceded by a Christina Aguilera song, so its appearance and selection were pretty surprising.

I came across a couple other Heads singing along and dancing, just as surprised as I was for the little boon during the mundanity of grocery shopping.

In honor of having listened to Bitches Brew all the way through last night for the first time, my next list of desert island discs will be from the man with the horn himself, Miles Davis.

1. Kind of Blue (1959)
2. In a Silent Way (1969)
3. Sketches of Spain (1960)
4. E.S.P. (1965)
5. Milestones (1958)

No matter how many times I’ve listened to it, Kind of Blue is indismissable. It’s so good, so important, and I never tire of listening to it. In a Silent Way has become a favorite of mine, and although I can’t see operating a motor vehicle on a desert island, it’s great driving music. It’s the album just before Bitches Brew, and it’s completely different from its successor. Sketches of Spain is my favorite collaboration between Miles and Gil Evans. E.S.P. is my selection from the period of Miles’ second great quintet, and Milestones is the album that signalled his move toward modal jazz. It’s also got one of my favorite Davis tracks of all time, the title track, “Milestones.”

Meet Al Kooper. Possibly one of the most important session musicians in the history of rock and roll, Al Kooper has built a very nice career for himself over the last 50 years in the business. His vita reads like a dream of late 60s and early 70s rock. Among other things, Al has:

1. Founded Blood, Sweat and Tears and stuck around long enough to play on their first album.
2. Discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd and produced their first three records.
3. Played the famous organ part on Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.”
4. Appeared as a session musician for the Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed album, including the piano and French Horn parts on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
5. Released 14 solo albums since 1966.

He’s also a very important contributor and interviewee to Martin Scorcese’s No Direction Home biopic on Bob Dylan. His story on how he ended up playing the classic organ riff on “Like a Rolling Stone” is a highlight of the film.

When I was growing up I often saw his albums advertised on the inside sleeves of my parents’ Simon and Garfunkle albums. Who is this Al Kooper guy? Is this what Alice Cooper was at one point? And he looks cool, but why don’t I hear any of his tunes on the classic rock station in town? I’m as guilty as anyone, I suppose, as I still don’t know his solo work.

Someone should amend that and give the guy his due. A much more expansive and detailed bio on Al is available at his Allmusic.com page.

A couple of years back, in a previous incarnation of this blog, I wrote a post to the effect that I felt I wasn’t ready to listen to Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew.” I wrote then that when the time was right, I would “go out and buy that weird double album from the end of the 1960s, turn out the lights, maybe light some candles, pour a glass of Pinot, and then let Miles run the voodoo down.”

I bought the CD yesterday and ripped it to my ipod. I haven’t listened to it yet. Once the kids are in bed tonight, I’ll pour that glass of wine, light the candles, and listen to the voodoo for the very first time.

Same deal as before. I get five studio albums by the artist in question. This time it’s the Lads from Liverpool. The Fab Four. The Beatles.

1. The Beatles (The White Album) (1968)
2. Revolver (1966)
3. Rubber Soul (1965)
4. Abbey Road (1969)
5. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

I struggled with number 5, believe it or not. I did a series of blog posts a long time ago where I had relegated this to under Magical Mystery Tour (1967). But it’s such a good album, and sometimes I don’t think I give it enough credit. Help! (1965) and Let It Be (1970) (the original as well as the “Naked” version) are right up there as well. So there’s my five.