Malcolm in the middle theme

Have you ever seen Malcolm in the middle? The crazy and funny family which should be an ordinary family but maybe they have too much eccentricites. Yes, Malcolm is in the middle but just because he's telling us their story, the story of his parents and three brothers.

I've liked the intro for the very first time. Pictures of their life as seen in an older version in tv, pictures of cartoons and so on. Starting with the unmistakable "Yes, no, maybeee... I don't know... can you repeat the question?" lyrics. It's Boss of me by They might be giants. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Za8HggalY

And here's a very nice video made for another song by this band. It's Meet the elements.

The Billie Holiday Story...

Earlier I've written about the album Billie Holiday - Recorded from Carnegie Hall live but then I didn't know that it's a piece in a series called The Billie Holiday Story by Verve Records. Especially that's the one before the last one in the edition. I really love it, and listening to the samples of its neighbours, those also seem to be cool: containing her finest songs, in well constructed selections.

vol.1.: Jazz at the Philharmonic

vol.2.: Solitude

vol.3.: Recital by

vol.4.: Lady sings the blues

vol.5.: Music for torching

vol.6.: Recorded from Carnegie Hall live

vol.7.: All or nothing at all

If I was president

Staying in Wyclef's word, now I'll show you his new song, If I was president. As everybody could know, Wyclef nominated himself on the prime minister election of Haiti. Then, in the end he changed his mind. On his website we can read:

“After weeks of quiet but painstaking reflection with my wife and daughter, I have chosen to end my bid for the presidency of Haiti,” said Jean. “This was not an easy conclusion to reach; but it is one that was thoughtfully made, taking into account many, many competing factors and weighing the course that will best advance the healing of the country and help it find the quickest path to recovery.”

But the song turned out to be very good. Especially its lyrics took effect on me:

If I was president,
I'd get elected on Friday,
Assassinated on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
Then go back to work on Monday...

Hope you'll work for the welfare of Haiti, and make music as well (his new album will come out soon).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pq_3OheqzU

Wyclef Jean - The preacher's son

A few years ago in late afternoon I got an sms from my father: please turn on the amplifier , I'm taking home some black music which rocks. That was this album. He arrived home and we immediately put it in the cd player, and the deep sounds filled the room. Wyclef Jean moved into our life...

... and he's still with us, especially when we want to do some loudness, hear some black rhythms and cool music. He presents this album by the following words:


In the history of the world, something significant happens every 2000 years. Behold the testimony of time, behold the music of the next millenium, behold the revelations of "The Preacher's Son". The date of my birth, October 17th, marks the date of the death the Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines. This link to such a profound and powerful man has helped me to understand that I too can be a revolutionary, that I too can use the tools and gifts that I have been given to affect change in the world. This is my tribute. And your invitation. Welcome to "THE PREACHER'S SON".


And yes, this album is created carefully, taking attention to its little elements as well. As Steve Harvey tells us in the intro, it is soothing, it's grooving, it is the truth, it's old, it's new, it's for everybody. 

Every song is a little world, with many singing voices, dense arrangement, deep basses, awesome rhythms and melodies. Many musicians participated in the making of this album, for example: Missy Elliott, Carlos Santana, Sharissa... and the result is a colourful, interesting bunch of songs. Songs about love (I am your doctor, Baby), memories (Class reunion), our future (Next generation), and so on.

I'm your chiropractor

Please lay down on a sofa

And let me massage your back

So I can tell you what's wrong...

Don't forget to check The carnival also by him, with the awesome and never-again-repeatable Guantanamera, and visit his website, where you can watch the concert videos addressed to twitter and facebook.

I am your doctor:

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses

I've been thinking what the next post will be about, and one of the possibilities was Black Moses by Isaac Hayes. The only thing which kept me back was that I've posted two albums by him recently, and this act will decrease the colourful style of this blog. But I kept thinking and the melodies came into my head again and again, and thought: now is the time when this album takes real effect on me, so this time has to be the most suitable time for it.

The first song sets the atmosphere well. It's an atmosphere which emotional, romantic, but never gets sloppy. Amongst the three albums I own (the other two are Hot buttered soul and Shaft) on this one he sings the most time. His velvety, deep singing voice is an elementary factor in his songs. These songs are well arranged, and his voice is ... by female background voices, which sound really cool. The best vocals are in the second track, (They long to be) Close to you. It's a new interpretation of the song which was written in 1963, but the most famous version of it is by The carpenters. Why do birds suddenly appear, every time when you are near? What he did with this song is similar to what he did with Walk on by on Hot buttered soul. A wholly new interpretation which you listen to and the original song is only a little part of it. A brand new performance, but rather a brand new song. I can't imagine how can it be missing from the cover versions of it at Wikipedia. The singing melody has also changed a little, and I think it's even better.

On this album every song is a little single world. They are rather long, so there's time show resolutions, and creating emphasis. For example, in the song mentioned previously, or in the first song, Never can say goodbye as they start the refrain again and again, the song doesn't want to stop. There are more examples of this re-start mood on the album. In A brand new me, the lyrics makes the same. This is my same old coat... and my same old shoes... I was a same old me... and so on, the repeat of the lines create the emphasis well.

It's a 2 cd album and in 2009 Stax released an awesome version of it. As you open the digipack, as you opened the lp, you get a cross-shaped form with large images of Isaac, and a long booklet with additional images. That's my best cd edition I've ever had. See the image below.

Never can say goodbye:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKKVIEZPTYk

(They long to be) Close to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlaA5fkAa-o

Me and the devil

This song deserves a mini-post. As I wrote it in the previous one, Me and the devil is the single song by Gil Scott-Heron, from his brand new 2010 album, I'm new here. It's a rather new performance of Robert Johnson's Me and the devil blues.
His voice turned into a really unique sound. An excellent video was made for this song, too, and here music and picture work together perfectly. We can peek into another world which opens when darkness falls - strange people appear in the streets. Painted faces. Lights in the darkness. Far noises. New kind of nightlife.

In the video, after the song there's a fantastic part where Gil Scott makes a monologue with a deep drum pattern and beautiful string melody (it's another track on the album, Your soul and mine).

"A new record from Gil Scott-Heron, forty years after his first solo album, is a cause for major celebration and something that the world needs now more than ever."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET8SVAGELA

Video for the album

Visit his website: www.gilscottheron.net

Gil-Scott Heron - Reflections

An unknown face in sunglasses, reflecting a black and white image with Miles Davis. Who could it be?

Gil Scott-Heron's music is not as famous as the musicians' in earlier posts like Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, etc. I have this album in a special release which proves this fact, too (The vibe! - original rare grooves album series). But he is still active nowadays, his latest album, I'm new here, came out in 2010 and I reckon it became a success. The devil and me is a really "deep" song with a cool and little surreal motion picture. The noir feeling and the painted faces do a great job.

I love this 1981 album for a lot of things. First of all, because of the new discovery. When unexpected music steps in man's life. I like as the first song, Storm music sets a loose, somehow carefree mood by the harmonica melody, and the new, special voice which sometimes speaks, sometimes sings - really unique. His voice became even more characteristic on his new album, it's worth to hear, see the video below. I like the contrast in Grandma's hands between the nostalgic topic and synthesizer melody in the background. I like as Morning thoughts are really morning thoughts, the awesome bass melody, its cool lyrics and the perfect atmosphere creating. That's my favourite song on this album. I also like - and that was how I discovered this music - the Inner city blues performance. It became slower and got a lighter interpretation than the original darker Marvin Gaye song. To sum up, it's a very colourful album and a nice start to make his new album a likable one, which is still extraordinary to me. Times will change, I dare to say there'll be a post about it in the future.

I don't think I've ever heard a sweeter feelin' in the whole wide world than that music playin' in my heart. (Storm music)

Morning thoughts:

Move on up

During my soul video seeking I found a cool classic piece which is really worth to show. It's Move on up by Curtis Mayfield, one of the old big names of soul. You can listen to this song on his first album, Curtis which was released in 1970 (I also recommend The other side of town on that album). It's almost nine minutes long, and with the inimitable "move on up" singing it's cool from its first sound to the last. At 4:00 a drum and percussion pattern appear and later a beautiful guitar sound combined with bass provides the basic notes (check out in the live version, it's even better). Solos come in, and it gets bigger. Awesome.

The melody struck in my head so much that it has been playing for weeks now. And still doesn't want to stop, though it isn't problem.

I also published it on Facebook, and one of my classmates liked it and commented: something like that it isn't Kanye West who changed the world, he can just copy well. First I didn't understand it but later I was told by another friend that Kanye remixed this song. I know he's around No.1 in today's r'n'b music, though I'm not a fan of him. I like Love lockdown, that's interesting for me. I searched for this song, but it turned out to be that its title is Touch the sky instead of Move on up. At last I found it and found it cool. It surprised me, the melody got slowed and the lyrics wholly changed. What only remained from the original song is Curtis' voice deepened, which sounds great with the deep bass pattern.

Original version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z66wVo7uNw

Radio/tv version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpD8FpGpBjE

Live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzsCP5QfcdU

Kanye's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkwQbuAGLj4

A little bit more than... few days at the weekend house

Summer holiday again. The same place. The same house. The unexplicable feelings which belong to here - from the past, and to-be thoughts in the future.

And music - of course - is still with me. Let me dive into a little kitchen philosophy...

In my childhood there were a few albums I listened to and when we spent our holiday at the weekend house, I felt the long, often three, four weeks long holiday shouldn't happen without my favourite music - so I brought my walkman and favourite cassettes with me. Later an older cassette player got to the house and my family always brought some cassettes to listen to. The feeling improved, louder music played and we could hear it while sitting on the terrace. Then years passed by and when the mp3 age started it was obvious that the walkman has to be replaced with the mp3 player. I took long walks with my little gadget and that feeling of free was really new and cool. The next step didn't make a big change, it was only the introduction of iPod in my life. More space, smaller player, and I love it. Hope Apple feels happy for this advertisement. And now, this year there's a notebook and mobile internet with us, so everything's accessible. This is the state of total freedom, which is really cool, but also...

What about the older feelings? Long, grey mornings in my teenager years in the autumn or winter when I listened to lp's from my father's collection. The hissing sound between tracks - from the lp player in the room, or from the walkman right in my ears. And no pc noise. When music comes from a furniture. Yes, a real pair of loudspeekers can be a part of the furniture of a room. And the cds? Cd shelves, of course. Another furniture, which, I think isn't ugly but cool. Posters on the wall, and not Windows backgrounds. Maybe now you're starting to feel this mood. I realize it every once in a while, and now I got my latest expereince here, of course in the weekend house. As CSN's Just a song before I go played by the cassette player. Sound quality? Who cares!? It's even better.

The passenger

Being an Up in the air fan, the song playing in one of the trailers kept floating in my mind and I felt I had to investigate a little bit. As it isn't part of the soundtrack, I couldn't get the title, but they sing I am the passenger, so YouTube immediately helped me as almost always. It turned out to be an Iggy Pop song which surprised me, because I thought it plays harder music, like metal. Now it's part of my home radio station in iTunes. Or on my iPod, when I'm a passenger...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFV6RhdsNs

trailer:
http://www.theupintheairmovie.com/

The 100th! Isaac Hayes - Hot buttered soul

This is the hundredth post in this blog. I'm very happy - though I haven't posted often recently, the blog continuously exists in my mind.

For the 100th rendez-vous I felt I had to choose something which really deserves this place. It's something like when on my birthday I listened to this album. For me, that hour was the celebration, an hour just for me, my own little celebration. And why did I choose this album? It has a lot of reasons. That time this album and music was quite new for me and I was just being introduced to it. The meeting gave a lot of inspiration. There are songs in our - or at least in my, but I really think in everyone's - life which can totally change our music preferences. The songs have heard earlier will sound differently, and you'll long for that new kind of music. In my case, it was the introduction of soul by Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes which made this. And as a result, now I think differently about music.

So that was the first reason, that new effect. And I had to choose a song which is in celebratory mood, at least a little bit. I don't really like way too grandiose things. The first, famous Walk on by is from that celebratory type. It can even call tears in my eye sometimes, which is a rare effect in my life. It's long, it's expressive, it's cool. Starts in a loud way and suddenly gets minimal and those elements of black music such as the inimitable rhythm appear. With the low amount of lyrics it's really effective - the string section do reach your soul.

The fewer songs an album contain, the more their importance will be: here you hear only 4 songs, so every one is equivalent. Hyperbolicsyllablicsequedalymistyc can really wake you up and I was delighted when I heard it in the movie Brooklyn's finest this year. After its improvisative and loud end, One woman creates a romantic atmosphere. And in the end By the time I get to Phoenix does something experimental. The first half of the song is a storytelling by Hayes, with a monotonic pattern in the background. The story is about the power of love. And then, slowly the music appears and nicely closes the album.

Walk on by (single version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5tqAbrZeX0

One woman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWv4xEsgY48

Read about Shaft!

Daylight

In Isaac Hayes' One woman daylight "slowly leaves the sky", and here, in Bobby Womack's Daylight daylight "is gonna catch me up again". Pretty actual - here, in Hungary, where daylight defeats night, which only lives 6-7 hours and there's extremely hot, almost unbearable. But daylight is something which is essential. As it appears at sunrise and as it disappears at sunset sometimes makes amazing atmosphere. This song presents daylight in its most beautiful existence to me.

One of my friends and his girlfriend live a strange life: they work at night, often until 4:00 a.m. or later, and don't get up earlier than 12:00. Which means sunrise and morning don't exist in their life. They don't know what they're missing by that lifestyle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4wIZrKC1ug

(live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDdI9p26cc

(live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnHHi3szWY

Across the 110th street

Today during my walk I was listening to the soundtrack of the movie Jackie Brown (by Quentin Tarantino) and realized again that how cool is the song Across the 110th street by Bobby Womack. It has a very nice lyrics which I hadn't noticed before. Again about the poor childhood, the circumstances, "anything I had to do to survive..."

First it was written for the 1972 crime-drama film Across 110th street but had become much more serious. Later it was also used for Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown.

Across 110th street:

Hear the original version with the opening of Across 110th street:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qXhFag9BVU

See the opening of Jackie Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BWA1T78WpI

Bobby Womack - California dreamin' / Across 110th street:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD2fTiwclMM

À Paris

Summer is trying its forces here, and for me the warm weather makes me listen not only to jazz, blues and nostalgic pop/rock songs related to summer, but also chansons. My favourite is an essential, À Paris by Yves Montand.

If a chanson can contain all of the emotions of the universe, it's one of those.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryH39k-Md54

(live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0do-UYWZKoY

Also about Paris: Sous le ciel de Paris, Un gamin de Paris

Inner city blues

Inner city blues... when I first saw these words but haven't heard a second of it, I had been fascinated already. I didn't doubt about that I would like it. It was then when I got to know the genre soul, especially Marvin Gaye's What's going on, and see this song amongst the tracks.

Now it's one of my favourite songs and an always-coming-back melody in my head, during walks, on public transportation, etc. Those monotonic rhythms and its cool words are fantastic. Recently it didn't want to disappear from my mind, it was constantly floating there. Using this situation, I did a little research.

Inner city blues (Make me wanna holler) was written by Marvin Gaye in 1971 - the song depicted the ghettos of inner-city America as it discussed how the bleak economic situation would lead to someone wanting to holler and throw ones hands up (Wikipedia). The first adaptation is by Grover Washington Jr. on his album Inner city blues in 1972. Next, for example, by Sarah Vaughan on the album A time in my life in 1972 and by Gil Scott-Heron on the album Reflections in 1981.

Start to feel it:

the original, by Marvin Gaye:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeWF0LC3R2o

by Grover Washington Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk2-w2JMBIY

by Reuben Wilson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRfeFaCHOdU

by Sarah Vaughan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hQ2vuUiFc

by Gil Scott-Heron:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTjTE8MCBU

Pulp fiction - Music from the motion picture

Quentin Tarantino reinterpreted film music. His flicks wouldn't be those movies without those songs. He always chooses older songs, not actual hits. Well-known songs and less well-known ones which create perfect atmosphere for his films. What is this atmosphere like? Funny. Cool. Loose. Entertaining. Nice. Nostalgic. Romantic... and so on.

If you hear Pulp fiction, you immediately start to hum Misirlou in your head, but the soundtrack is much more. For example, I was introduced to the genre "surf" by Tarantino soundtracks. Bustin' surfboards and Surf rider are surfing with you for a short time, but there're Let's stay together by Al Green, Jungle boogie by Kool & The Gang, Girl, you'll be a woman soon by Urge Overkill, and the classic twist contest song, the You never can tell by Chuck Berry. And I haven't talked about the film excerpts which paint even more colours on this album. It's not a coincidence that Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta have been chosen for one of the fifteen greatest pairs of pop culture by Entertainment Weekly. Their memorable dialogues will always be with us, for example talking about the burgers in America and France, the morning scene when they murder the boys having breakfast, and Jules's monologue quoting from Ezekiel 25:17 which is the closer track of the album. Don't say what again, listen to this album...

...and if you liked it, start with the Jackie Brown - Music from the Miramax motion picture. That's my favourite Tarantino movie music.

Misirlou:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIU0RMV_II8

Jungle boogie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgynbFoA9to

Let's stay together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM

Pulp fiction trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZBfmBvvotE

Billie Holiday - Recorded from Carnegie Hall live

I was just thinking about what to listen to in this rainy and grey spring afternoon, and my decision happened to be ideal for this mood.

This special concert recording features short excerpts from Billie's autobiographical book, Lady sings the blues read by a narrator with a perfect voice which is absolutely suitable on this album, I reckon. I immediately peeked into it at Amazon and maybe I'll read it in the summertime.

With a cup of tea on the window sill I was staring out the window, daydreaming about what was and what will be and the beauty of music, while the rain was heavily knocking the glass in front of me. It was beautiful, indeed - music has a power like nothing, it starts thoughts in your head and writes on. On this album Lady Day sings the famous Lady sings the blues, Body and soul, Yesterdays, I cover the waterfront while we can peek into the interesting segments of her life. Lady sings the blues... yes, that's totally true. With her hoarse singing voice the ballads are very impressive and she absolutely lives the songs - and takes in them her pain, memories and desires. The older quality is ice on the cake.

I cover the waterfront:

The album inspired me and I watched another videos from her on YouTube, here are two songs: Autumn in New York, Good morning heartache (I'm looking forward to write about these two songs in the section standards, this year it will surely happen).

Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen, and I was three.

I was a woman when I was sixteen. I was big for my age, with big breasts, big bones, a big fat healthy broad, that's all. So I started working out then, before school and after, minding babies, running errands, and scrubbing those damn white steps all over Baltimore.

But whether I was riding a bike or scrubbing somebody's dirty bathroom floor, I used to love to sing all the time. I liked music. If there was a place where I could go and hear it, I went.

Chet Baker - Deep in a dream

A long time passed by since I last heard Chet Baker's thin voice and trumpet play - so hearing it again was fascinating.
On this collection (Deep in a dream - The ultimate collection) he sings, plays and there are two short songs which are only singing: Blue room and Spring is here, these are nice colour patches on the album. Though I don't like collections or "best of" albums, this was created very well. The My funny Valentine vocal and its instrumental version opens and closes the album, making a nice frame to it, and the songs are in perfect harmony: slow and faster (like Summer sketch and Let's get lost), peaceful and melancholic (like Little girl blue and Alone together) melodies with different arrangements - but this doesn't make you feel confused, it makes the album multi-coloured and exciting. Shortly, it's a very nice collecting work and a portrait about Chet's sides.

Today I saw a Sex and the city episode in which Carrie's first Vogue article is unsuccesful and an elder collegaue comforts her while a jazz cd is being played in the background. He tells her that The only one who's sadder than you now is Billie Holiday. He could have said Chet Baker, too. Though it's another kind of sadness - a daydreaming, slowing, nostalgic sadness mixed with peace, and rarely delight... he really does it from his heart; he couldn't do in an other way. Listen to The wind below, one of the best songs on this album.

The wind:

Earlier posts related to Chet Baker:

Spring is here

Chet Baker - Chet

This land is your land

Up in the air surprised me in the pleasant meaning of this word. The movie had been nominated for several Oscars but didn't won any - unfortunately. That's something which could have been deserved at least one - in spite of the "big" films, which nowadays the Academy and people concentrate on. But it's not a movie blog so I make it short: it's 9 of 10 for me and a memorable and soon repeatable experience of the movies of third millenium.

Let's talk about its soundtrack. Now I concentrate on its intro again, with the landscapes photographed from the air and the mood and lyrics of the music in the background: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - This land is your land (on the album Naturally, 2005 - can you imgaine it?). The connection is perfect. As the lady keeps singing the lands of America (in the original song it's only in the first verse but the soundtrack is a modified version), we can observe them from the air, and the editing is absolutely perfect. The titles and rhythm is playful and set a cool starting atmosphere for the film. Do we need more? It's worth to watch its intro (below).

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnrDgLs8fQo&feature=related

Watch the movie:
http://stagevu.com/video/gdzexmdmaods

This land is your land:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeahROQ716M

The bear and the fox

I could have written "Tim Ten Yen and his magical world" as well but my favourite song by him is The bear and the fox (from the album Everything beautiful reminds me of You) with its child-story mood and nice melody. I see he's having concerts now, but I don't know how big his reputation could be. I think it's growing constantly.

Visit him at myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/timtenyen

The bear and the fox:

The bear and the fox live (poor quality):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwcfUFPpF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpJqIwbnPG8