Alexander HineSong Reviews - First Edition
I’ve decided that, in the fine tradition of narcissism that pervades the internet, I will share with you, each week, reviews of 10 of my favourite songs. From all eras, genres and etcetera. Hopefully you will find them enjoyable and, perhaps, I will even point you towards something new that delights you and causes you to send me fragrant gifts through the outdated “solidmail” system that some of us still cherish.
1. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, as performed by Van Morrison on the Basquiat soundtrack, originally composed by Bob Dylan
A definite contender for the ‘best cover of all time’, Van Morrison’s version of this Bob Dylan masterpiece is arguably even better than the original. Van Morrison is vocally at his best, singing every word with absolute commitment and emotional subtlety. The track also features a very catchy bassline, a great arpeggiated guitar line (or is it keys? I can’t tell), a nice, sparse acoustic guitar and a solid, simple rhythm section. The build-up before every refrain is unfailingly exhilarating, and the instrumental breaks are interesting, without detracting from the overall harmony of the recording. Highly, highly recommended – along with the film on whose soundtrack it appears.
Good music for walking around the city to – find a metropolis, put on some of those big goofy headphones and start walking.
2. The Cruelty of Barbary Ellen, as performed by Meg Baird on her album Dear Companion, originally composed by a Brit 300 years ago
This song will break your heart. It tells the story of ‘Poor William’ whose dying wish is the love of the fair ‘Barbary Ellen.’ In classic romantic fashion William is rejected and dies of sorrow, realising this, Miss Ellen naturally commits suicide. This might sound a bit quaint and bland but, when it is filtered through the delicate guitar, pristine voice and inventive lyrical reworking of Meg Baird, it is quite powerful. The melody alone would be worth a listen, it has a lilting, haunting quality that is almost trance-like in its affect, and is backed by elegant finger-picking on a steel-string guitar, but it is the lyrics that really make the song. Meg Baird has added a few new verses, which provide more characterisation and background to the original story, giving it a new depth and emotional appeal. The bitterness and melancholy in the delivery of lines like
“All she said when she got there was
Young man I believe you’re dying”
are enough to melt even a hard heart.
Best on good headphones, with a glass of fine wine.
3. Miss Brown to You, as performed by Billie Holiday on Billie Holiday Sings the Blues
Miss Holiday is renowned for her mournful songs of love and loss, but she could also belt out a pretty nice dance number, and Miss Brown To You is a perfect example. Opening with a joy-inspiring clarinet line, Miss Brown is an upbeat song about gloating, shamelessly, over your delectable girlfriend to your mates – “lovable, huggable Emily Brown – Miss Brown to you.” This is the perfect song to throw on at a party when you want to get people smiling and dancing. The recording is flawless, from the inimitable vocals to the muted and chunky rhythm guitar to the classic piano and trumpet/clarinet solos.
Listen to this one with friends, a joint or two, and pretty girls a plenty.
4. Kare Kare, Crowded House, from Together Alone
This is one of Crowded House’s more ethereal songs, full of lots of ghostly, high guitar notes and ambient background sounds. The lyrics are suitably abstract, but are pocketed with little gems of reality, such as “we gathered up our clothes, got the washing done.” The guitar solos are tasteful, the drums are tight, the bass is rock solid and the harmonies, as always with this band, are sheer perfection. The ending of this track is one of the most distinctive things about it – in place of the usual clean pop or messy rock endings, the band digress into an almost tribal sounding echo-chamber of noise and rhythm, before ending in a strange mixture of classic rock and organ drones. Quite tasty.
A good one for people who’ve only heard Weather With You and Don’t Dream It’s Over, or who feel like a quick injection of strangepop in their lives.
5. That’s No Way to Get Along, Robert Wilkins, from The Rough Guide to the Delta Blues
Robert Wilkins’ nasal drawl and driving guitar are the only instruments on this track, and they create a truly beautiful sound. The melody and lyrics combine to create a picture of sorrow, hardship and loneliness – “I stood on the roadside and cried all by myself, and that’s no way for me to get along.” Little else can be said about this track, it is like a book that is best read, not described – like a view over a valley that cannot be explained, only seen with one’s own eyes.
Listen to it.
6. Mon Legionnaire, Edith Piaf, from Edith Piaf: the Gold Collection
The language barrier should not daunt you. Piaf’s voice speaks volumes on its own. Her tone is so distinctive, strong and expressive that it is almost impossible not to keep playing her songs again and again once you begin. This song is very French, very romantic, very dramatic. The piano, brass and violin that accompany Piaf’s voice do an excellent job supporting the melody, they give the singer room to move and they match the changing moods of the song perfectly, as it sways from conspiratorial, almost spoken tones to broad, majestic melodies.
Drink a bottle of red wine, and flop about your lounge-room to it.
7. When I am Laid in Earth, as performed by Emma Kirby, composed by Henry Purcell
Possibly the saddest piece of music ever written, the first time I heard this I didn’t speak or move for many a minute. The melody is perfect, an ideal evocation of deep sorrow. The harmonies give the impression that the melody is floating, perfected over every mountain in the world.
Play as loud as possible, in a church preferably, and weep.
8. Digital, Joy Division, from Substance 1977-1980
Joy Division at their best. The drums are clandestine, the bass is fuzzy, the lyrics are oppressive and dark, the guitar muted and scratchy – all the elements in place. The reason I would recommend this song over other Joy Division numbers, though, is the incredible rush of adrenaline and sheer ecstasy I experience every time I hear Ian Curtis build up to an epileptic fit with “the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out,” combined with the poppy bass intro, which must surely have influenced the Violent Femmes’ Blister In The Sun.
Listen loudly on good headphones in crowded places.
9. March Into the Sea, Modest Mouse, from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
When March Into the Sea first graced my ears I was instantly caught off guard by the introduction: a simple and memorable riff played on a squeaky accordion, that clicks and clacks rhythmically along and sounds like it was recorded in a lounge room somewhere. After a lovely four bars of this peaceful and incongruous sound, the band explodes into a tortured hammer of an opening, with Isaac Brock sounding as if every word is forcing its way from his throat against his will, his voice breaking and grating at the edges. The song continues with an array of verse/chorus confusion, there is some kind of bell-like percussion, a violin that could be straight out of one of my childhood barn dances, and a plethora of interesting lyrics – “give me forced health ‘til I wish death on myself” is a good one, as is “treat me like the sea, oh so salty and mean.” The guitar work is solid and melodic, the band has a great sense of dynamics and the ending comes from absolutely nowhere.
Turn up very loud, preferably listened to when drunk and angry.
10. Data Teira Durbar (Master In Your Court), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, from Dust to Gold
It is difficult to heap enough praise on this track from the Qawwali master and, in these strange and caricatured times, it is sometimes easy to forget the vibrant cultural achievements of Islam. Data Teira Darbur is a Sufi prayer and it rings out like no other I’ve heard. Backed by an infectious and funk-tinged tabla beat, Data consists of a series of dynamic and virtuosic vocal solos, all relating back to a single refrain, similair to the ‘head’ in jazz standards. The singers on the recording are all stunning especially Nusrat himself, whose voice has a rough-edged purity reminiscent of Robert Plant’s, though far more beautiful. There is minimal accompaniment to the singing – only tabla, harmonium and clapping– but the song is so rich and large sounding that it feels like a whole orchestra. Close your eyes, play the track, and melt into a sensuous and melodic oblivion of angelic sound.
Best listened to on good headphones and with spare time, as the track exceeds 16 min.
1. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, as performed by Van Morrison on the Basquiat soundtrack, originally composed by Bob Dylan
A definite contender for the ‘best cover of all time’, Van Morrison’s version of this Bob Dylan masterpiece is arguably even better than the original. Van Morrison is vocally at his best, singing every word with absolute commitment and emotional subtlety. The track also features a very catchy bassline, a great arpeggiated guitar line (or is it keys? I can’t tell), a nice, sparse acoustic guitar and a solid, simple rhythm section. The build-up before every refrain is unfailingly exhilarating, and the instrumental breaks are interesting, without detracting from the overall harmony of the recording. Highly, highly recommended – along with the film on whose soundtrack it appears.
Good music for walking around the city to – find a metropolis, put on some of those big goofy headphones and start walking.
2. The Cruelty of Barbary Ellen, as performed by Meg Baird on her album Dear Companion, originally composed by a Brit 300 years ago
This song will break your heart. It tells the story of ‘Poor William’ whose dying wish is the love of the fair ‘Barbary Ellen.’ In classic romantic fashion William is rejected and dies of sorrow, realising this, Miss Ellen naturally commits suicide. This might sound a bit quaint and bland but, when it is filtered through the delicate guitar, pristine voice and inventive lyrical reworking of Meg Baird, it is quite powerful. The melody alone would be worth a listen, it has a lilting, haunting quality that is almost trance-like in its affect, and is backed by elegant finger-picking on a steel-string guitar, but it is the lyrics that really make the song. Meg Baird has added a few new verses, which provide more characterisation and background to the original story, giving it a new depth and emotional appeal. The bitterness and melancholy in the delivery of lines like
“All she said when she got there was
Young man I believe you’re dying”
are enough to melt even a hard heart.
Best on good headphones, with a glass of fine wine.
3. Miss Brown to You, as performed by Billie Holiday on Billie Holiday Sings the Blues
Miss Holiday is renowned for her mournful songs of love and loss, but she could also belt out a pretty nice dance number, and Miss Brown To You is a perfect example. Opening with a joy-inspiring clarinet line, Miss Brown is an upbeat song about gloating, shamelessly, over your delectable girlfriend to your mates – “lovable, huggable Emily Brown – Miss Brown to you.” This is the perfect song to throw on at a party when you want to get people smiling and dancing. The recording is flawless, from the inimitable vocals to the muted and chunky rhythm guitar to the classic piano and trumpet/clarinet solos.
Listen to this one with friends, a joint or two, and pretty girls a plenty.
4. Kare Kare, Crowded House, from Together Alone
This is one of Crowded House’s more ethereal songs, full of lots of ghostly, high guitar notes and ambient background sounds. The lyrics are suitably abstract, but are pocketed with little gems of reality, such as “we gathered up our clothes, got the washing done.” The guitar solos are tasteful, the drums are tight, the bass is rock solid and the harmonies, as always with this band, are sheer perfection. The ending of this track is one of the most distinctive things about it – in place of the usual clean pop or messy rock endings, the band digress into an almost tribal sounding echo-chamber of noise and rhythm, before ending in a strange mixture of classic rock and organ drones. Quite tasty.
A good one for people who’ve only heard Weather With You and Don’t Dream It’s Over, or who feel like a quick injection of strangepop in their lives.
5. That’s No Way to Get Along, Robert Wilkins, from The Rough Guide to the Delta Blues
Robert Wilkins’ nasal drawl and driving guitar are the only instruments on this track, and they create a truly beautiful sound. The melody and lyrics combine to create a picture of sorrow, hardship and loneliness – “I stood on the roadside and cried all by myself, and that’s no way for me to get along.” Little else can be said about this track, it is like a book that is best read, not described – like a view over a valley that cannot be explained, only seen with one’s own eyes.
Listen to it.
6. Mon Legionnaire, Edith Piaf, from Edith Piaf: the Gold Collection
The language barrier should not daunt you. Piaf’s voice speaks volumes on its own. Her tone is so distinctive, strong and expressive that it is almost impossible not to keep playing her songs again and again once you begin. This song is very French, very romantic, very dramatic. The piano, brass and violin that accompany Piaf’s voice do an excellent job supporting the melody, they give the singer room to move and they match the changing moods of the song perfectly, as it sways from conspiratorial, almost spoken tones to broad, majestic melodies.
Drink a bottle of red wine, and flop about your lounge-room to it.
7. When I am Laid in Earth, as performed by Emma Kirby, composed by Henry Purcell
Possibly the saddest piece of music ever written, the first time I heard this I didn’t speak or move for many a minute. The melody is perfect, an ideal evocation of deep sorrow. The harmonies give the impression that the melody is floating, perfected over every mountain in the world.
Play as loud as possible, in a church preferably, and weep.
8. Digital, Joy Division, from Substance 1977-1980
Joy Division at their best. The drums are clandestine, the bass is fuzzy, the lyrics are oppressive and dark, the guitar muted and scratchy – all the elements in place. The reason I would recommend this song over other Joy Division numbers, though, is the incredible rush of adrenaline and sheer ecstasy I experience every time I hear Ian Curtis build up to an epileptic fit with “the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out, the in, the out,” combined with the poppy bass intro, which must surely have influenced the Violent Femmes’ Blister In The Sun.
Listen loudly on good headphones in crowded places.
9. March Into the Sea, Modest Mouse, from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
When March Into the Sea first graced my ears I was instantly caught off guard by the introduction: a simple and memorable riff played on a squeaky accordion, that clicks and clacks rhythmically along and sounds like it was recorded in a lounge room somewhere. After a lovely four bars of this peaceful and incongruous sound, the band explodes into a tortured hammer of an opening, with Isaac Brock sounding as if every word is forcing its way from his throat against his will, his voice breaking and grating at the edges. The song continues with an array of verse/chorus confusion, there is some kind of bell-like percussion, a violin that could be straight out of one of my childhood barn dances, and a plethora of interesting lyrics – “give me forced health ‘til I wish death on myself” is a good one, as is “treat me like the sea, oh so salty and mean.” The guitar work is solid and melodic, the band has a great sense of dynamics and the ending comes from absolutely nowhere.
Turn up very loud, preferably listened to when drunk and angry.
10. Data Teira Durbar (Master In Your Court), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, from Dust to Gold
It is difficult to heap enough praise on this track from the Qawwali master and, in these strange and caricatured times, it is sometimes easy to forget the vibrant cultural achievements of Islam. Data Teira Darbur is a Sufi prayer and it rings out like no other I’ve heard. Backed by an infectious and funk-tinged tabla beat, Data consists of a series of dynamic and virtuosic vocal solos, all relating back to a single refrain, similair to the ‘head’ in jazz standards. The singers on the recording are all stunning especially Nusrat himself, whose voice has a rough-edged purity reminiscent of Robert Plant’s, though far more beautiful. There is minimal accompaniment to the singing – only tabla, harmonium and clapping– but the song is so rich and large sounding that it feels like a whole orchestra. Close your eyes, play the track, and melt into a sensuous and melodic oblivion of angelic sound.
Best listened to on good headphones and with spare time, as the track exceeds 16 min.
