Complete Clapton (2007)

God forbid, if I was asked to part with all the music I have, save one album, I would keep this. This would probably last me a lifetime. Bettering over his previous versatile compilation The Cream of Clapton (1995), this autobiographical compilation contains everything that is Clapton, and probably more. In terms of sheer range, Complete Clapton stretches from rock to blues. In terms of expression, it ranges from unrequited love to romance to separation; exploring themes like faith and justice on the way. The album begins with five consecutive Cream tracks, essentially hard rock or psychedelic rock, and gradually gets bluer and denser.

Containing all the popular Clapton tracks like “Layla”, “Cocaine”, “My Father’s Eyes”, “Change the World”, which have become cult tracks, it's a pleasure to listen to beautiful and lesser heard tracks like “Miss You”, “Pretending” and “It’s In The Way You Use It”. But, the tracks to watch out for are “Bell Bottom Blues”, supposedly written by Clapton for Pattie Boyd (yes, as usual), and his covers of Robert Hicks classic “Motherless Child” and of Robert Johnson’s famous “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day”.

See: Track Listing.

Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick (1972)

Thick as a Brick, (Jethro Tull, 1972) is not just one of the best works of Jethro Tull as a band (peaked No.1 on U.S. Billboard Pop Albums Chart), but one of the most unique albums I have come across as well. It comes in a phase in Jethro Tull's life when they're at their peak after a successful Aqualung, and definitely marking a transition into the progressive rock genre, hints of which can be seen from Stand Up (1969) itself.
Being a concept album, it consists of a single track, spanning just under 44 minutes (and the album being progressive in that sense as well), with a vast range of sounds, as Ian Anderson himself says, "sometimes lifting, sometimes soaring". It is most well-known perhaps for its innovation in having a mock newspaper entitled "St. Cleve Chronicle" as an LP cover which help one to get a hint to the extremely complex and mind-boggling lyrics penned by a prodigious eight-year old Gerald Bostock who features on the front page of the "Chronicle" (actually an incarnation of Ian Anderson himself). The lyrics and the sound scheme is extremely complex, and no theme can be pinpointed, like it can be in Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall or The Who's Tommy or Jethro Tull's own most celebrated album Aqualung. It is possibly simply a hodgepodge of the themes dealt with in all the above works.
Possibly, it is an attack on everything mainstream, which is indicated by the first lines: "My words but a whisper - your deafness a shout. I may make you feel but I can't make you think." - beginning with mainstream attitudes towards children to art to war. The words are typically Anderson, reminiscent of Aqualung and Stand Up, full of satire, challenging the mainstream throughout the epic with effects such as "See there! A son is born…". Not only is "The St. Cleve Chronicle" a must read for its cleverness, the album is a must hear for the range in variations in a single track never heard before, impressive jamming in between, all united by the signature Anderson flute. And of course,
"So you ride yourselves over the fields and
You make all your animal deals and
Your wise men don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick."

Exceptional. Wholesome. Complete. Satiating.

See also:
Thick as a Brick lyrics.
The 12-page St. Cleve Chronicle.

Bob Dylan: My Back Pages

I think this ought to have come up here a long long time ago, considering I'd been listening to this same track over fifty times each day during my exams.
The song, "My Back Pages" first appeared during Dylan's golden period in the album Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), in a simpler very typical Dylan harmonica-acoustic version, with him reciting and not singing the song.
But the version that's got to be one of the best and most complete tracks ever is found in the 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993), performed by various artists.
Apart from the famous guitar riff by Clapton in the middle, the track is exceptional as it brings together Tom Petty, Roger McGuinn (of The Byrds), Neil Young (of Pearl Jam fame), George Harrison and Bob Dylan himself to sing the magical words of My Back Pages, which becomes an anthemic tune, and one of the few songs which one can listen to in any sort of mood. Although there are quite a few well-covered songs of Dylan in the album, this stands out, and is bound to make the listener open his eyes wide and appreciate the magic of Dylan's songwriting every single time.

Must see:
My Back Pages Lyrics.
The Concert version.

Various Artists - A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan (1996)

According to some (here), tribute albums are mostly collections of roundly uninspired versions of the dead artist’s songs and these albums are either ignored and/or quickly forgotten, or spur a revival in the artist’s music that he won’t be around to enjoy or profit from them. Clearly, a brother’s initiative seems to be an exception. When SRV died in a helicopter crash in 1990 at 35 years, he was already one of the greatest blues guitarists to have been born. Jimmie, elder brother-cum-SRV’s tutor and greatest influence, co-wrote a eulogy, “Six Strings Down” for not only SRV, but also other blues guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, T-Bone Walker and Albert King. The tribute features an ensemble cast of blues musicians – B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Art Neville, Bonnie Raitt and Dr. John, who come together and perform “Tick Tock”, a 'Nutopian' track that first featured in Family Style (Vaughan Brothers, 1990) and at the end of the album, “SRV Shuffle”, which won the Grammy in 1997 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Truly, an unforgettable tribute!



Related:
Raucous version of "Six Strings Down" at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, 2004.
Sample of "Tick Tock".

Highway 61 Revisited

Choosing the first subject wasn't easy, but I guess in the current mood, it is appropriate to select this one.

Personally, one of my favourite Bob Dylan albums, Highway 61 Revisited, released in 1965, and the recordings churned out in a remarkable span of six days, contains some of the most angsty and bitter lyrics. Named after the New Orleans-Memphis-Iowa highway, popularly also called the "Blues Highway", because of its association with various other legends like Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith, it came in a phase of Dylan's life when he was widely criticized to be shifting towards more 'electric' rock and roll and more commercial music, instead of the more "honest" folk music, which he started off with. He silenced all these doubts and criticisms with this landmark album (ranked No. 4 by the Rolling Stones). With vitriolic songs such as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Ballad of a Thin Man", that sting becomes more mixed with longing and concern in "Queen Jane Approximately" and "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry", and the brilliantly melodic rock and roll compositions of "Tombstone Blues" and "From a Biuck 6", the folk feel is retained in "Highway 61 Revisited". Although "Like a Rolling Stone" has been the most talked about track for its "vomitific" lyrics, whopping length and that accusatory and finger-pointing "How does it feel?", the greatest song according to the Rolling Stones magazine, which featured in this album after being released as a single shortly earlier, I think a relatively underrated but must-listen track is "The Ballad of a Thin Man", which appears in a very interesting context in the movie I'm Not There and has the same sort of mocking-at-the-helpless tone. With the concealed romance in "Desolation Row", one gets a hint of what lies in store for us in the next album, another legendary album called Blonde on Blonde.

Related:
Bob Dylan performing "Like a Rolling Stone" live.
Jimi Hendrix Cover of "Like a Rolling Stone".
The Rolling Stones music video of "Like a Rolling Stone".
"Ballad of a Thin Man" in I'm Not There (2007) - performed by Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers.
Johnny Winter cover of "Highway 61 Revisited".
Tombstone Blues lyrics.

Revampment

Well, I have decided to change the format and purpose of the blog. It's better than simply copy-pasting (I have become a sort of chronic plagiarist - a copyright violator after submitting 34 term papers here). Besides, I obviously can't chronicle music without lyrics, which is a serious drawback.
The basic purpose of the blog remains the same - it's a music blog. But now I shall write about the music I listen to - singles, covers, albums, soundtracks; rock, blues, alternative, folk, pop. Everything. Or next to that.

Romeo and Juliet met. They fell in love. He said, "It's Your Latest Trick!"
But they got Tangled up in Blue and Romeo had to say that it's just Abandoned Love now. He's got to wear the Badge, though.

Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits):
[It's the whole song: I can't choose particular lines.]

A lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsus serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
Says something like, "You and me babe how about it?"

Juliet says, "Hey it's Romeo you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window she's singing, "Hey la my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that
Anyway what you gonna do about it?"

Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded in my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

Come up on different streets they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?

When you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything you promised me thick and thin
Now you just say, "Oh Romeo, yeah you know I used to have a scene with him"

Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

I can't do the talk like they talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song like the way its meant to be
I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you

And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet I'd do the stars with you any time

Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

Your Latest Trick (Dire Straits):

The bottle's empty and there's nothing left
I don't know how it happened
It was faster than the eye could flick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick.

Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan):

Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

Abandoned Love (Bob Dylan):

Everybody's wearing a disguise
To hide what they've got left behind their eyes.
But me, I can't cover what I am
Wherever the children go I'll follow them.

Badge (Eric Clapton and George Harrison):

Thinking bout the times you drove in my car
Thinking that I might have drove you too far
And I'm thinking bout the love that you laid on my table.

After Midnight, Imagine Layla chewing Cocaine. She'll Change the World.

After Midnight (JJ Cale; also covered by Eric Clapton)

After midnight, we're gonna chug-a-lug and shout,
We're gonna cause talk and suspicion
Give an exhibition
Find out what it's all about.

Imagine (John Lennon)

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed and hunger
A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world.
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

Layla (Eric Clapton)

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.

Cocaine (JJ Cale; also covered by Eric Clapton)

If you got bad news, you want to kick them blues
Cocaine.
When your day is done and you got to run
Cocaine.

Change the World (Eric Clapton)

If I could be king even for a day
I'd take you as my queen I'd have it no other way
And our love will rule in this kingdom we have made
Till then I'd be a fool wishin' for the day

Statement of Purpose

I've felt a great need to document or chronicle the music I listen to. So, here, I shall list the most popular songs in my playlist, along with some of the lines that hit me, in order to enable me to come back to this space later to find great music, if at all I forget.