Category: music

Pink Floyd – Great Gig in the Sky

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

One of the great, original vocals of all time in my opinion.

“The Great Gig in the Sky” is the 5th track on The Dark Side of the Moon, a 1973 album Pink Floyd.

The song features music by keyboard player Richard Wright and improvised, wordless vocals by session singer Clare Torry.

On the recommendation of Alan Parsons, the band brought in Clare for a 3 hour session and asked her to improvise. She was paid the session standard  £30.

In a 2005 out-of-court settlement, Clare was awarded more. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is not Clare Torry.

Here’s another LIVE version with different vocalists.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

My favourite Christmas song.

Bing Crosby and David Bowie.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

You might prefer the Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly version.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

On By Rick McIn bad news, government, musicLeave a comment

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. One of the most important of the Christmas songs.

I often wonder what John Lennon would think of the world today.

In Praise of Street Musicians

On By Rick McIn music, travelLeave a comment

It’s a treat when happening upon a busker who can entertain.

Here are two musicians I enjoyed while traveling in Europe.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

History of the Canadian National Anthem

On By Rick McIn government, musicLeave a comment

Originally, the current Canadian National anthem was composed in French, celebrating Quebec.

The lyrics are totally … separate and distinct … in the 2 official languages.

“O Canada” (French: Ô Canada) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French-language words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.

The original French lyrics were translated to English in 1906.  Multiple English versions ensued, with Robert Stanley Weir‘s 1908 version (which was not a translation of the French lyrics) gaining the most popularity; the Weir lyrics eventually served as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament.  Weir’s English-language lyrics have been revised three times, most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender) was enacted in 2018. 

The French lyrics remain unaltered.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

‘Gens du pays’, written by Gilles Vigneault and Gaston Rochon for the 1975 St-Jean-Baptiste celebrations on Mount Royal, Montreal is almost a national anthem in Quebec.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Poem – Rave on John Donne

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, humour, musicLeave a comment

Rave On John Donne/Rave On Part Two is a 1983 song by Van Morrison.

THIS is poetry.

Click PLAY or listen to it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or listen to a LIVE version on YouTube.

All Too Well by Taylor Swift

On By Rick McIn musicLeave a comment

Brilliant poetry.

“Rolling Stone” contributing editor Rob Sheffield wrote the book:

“Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music“

He feels this is Taylor’s finest song.

“All Too Well” is a song by Taylor Swift and Liz Rose.

A 10 minute song LIVE in concert? Fans love it.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Years later, Taylor directed this short film set to the song. It won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Gumption by Nick Offerman

On By Rick McIn books, ethics, government, human rights, humour, music, philosophyLeave a comment

Nick Offerman has released four semi-autobiographical publications:

  • Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living (2013)
  • Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers (2015)
  • Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop (2016)
  • Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside (2021).

Gumption is a humorous, philosophical look at some of the people who have inspired Nick over his lifetime. For example, as a young man he was a huge fan of the film Billy Jack (1971) — and its creator / star Tom Laughlin. He attended Tom’s funeral in 2013 and spent time with the family.

While focused on personal heroes, Nick finds time to expound upon many of his favorite topics such as religion, politics, woodworking, agriculture, creativity, philosophy, fashion, and, of course, meat.

21 profiles of America’s gutsiest troublemakers

  1. George Washington
  2. Benjamin Franklin
  3. James Madison
  4. Frederick Douglass
  1. Theodore Roosevelt
  2. Frederick Law Olmsted
  3. Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. Tom Laughlin
  5. Wendell Berry
  6. Barney Frank
  7. Yoko Ono
  8. Michael Pollan
  1. Thomas Lie-Nielsen
  2. Nat Benjamin
  3. George Nakashima
  4. Carol Burnett
  5. Jeff Tweedy
  6. George Saunders
  7. Laurie Anderson
  8. Willie Nelson
  9. Conan O’Brien

Remembering John Lennon – Oct. 9th

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, human rights, musicLeave a comment

I often wonder what John Lennon would be saying and doing today if he hadn’t been murdered.

His main theme at the end was …

PEACE

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Born Oct. 9, 1940, he’s celebrated annually with the lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The words on the tower are written in 24 world languages:

English: IMAGINE PEACESwahili: TUFIKIRIENI AMANI
Japanese: 平和な世界を想像してごらんIcelandic: HUGSA SÉR FRIÐ
Korean: 평화를 꿈꾸자Turkish: BARIŞI DÜŞLE
Chinese: 想像世界有了和平Persian: به صلح بیندیش
Arabic: احلم سلامFilipino: ILARAWAN ANG MUNDONG MAPAYAPA
Portuguese: IMAGINE A PAZTamil: சமாதானத்தை நினையுங்கள்
‹See Tfd›Russian: ПРЕДСТАВЬТЕ СЕБЕ МИРHungarian: KÉPZELD EL A BÉKÉT
Hindi: शान्ति की कल्पना करेंFinnish: KUVITTELE RAUHA
‹See Tfd›German: STELL DIR VOR ES IST FRIEDENGeorgian: წარმოიდგინეთ მშვიდობა
Italian: IMMAGINA LA PACEStandard Tibetan: ཞི་བ་སྒོམས་
French: IMAGINEZ LA PAIXHebrew: חלום שלום
Spanish: IMAGINA LA PAZInuktitut: ᓴᐃᒪᖃᑎᒌᑦᑕ

related – Pentatonic covers John Lennon’s Imagine

Jungle – Let’s Go Back

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, musicLeave a comment

Jungle is a British band closely associated with a dance troupe. Some of their videos, including this one, are one shot. Very cool.

Choreography by Shay Latukolan

Will West is the lead dancer.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.