Mexico – James Taylor

“Mexico” was the opening track of his 1975 album Gorilla. …

Graham Nash and David Crosby sing backup vocals.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s been covered by many, many others. Jimmy Buffet OFTEN. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Jimmy and JT.

I need a MONTH in London

Once again I broke up long international travel with a stopover in London.

I enjoyed my days in June 2022. And again end of August 2022.

BUT it would take a month of dedicated research to really understand all the areas of the city. And to visit all the attractions.

This time I stayed at Wombats near the Tower Bridge so ended up spending more time on that section of the Thames. Especially in the evening.

Most of what I do is FREE — wandering the streets and parks. Something interesting around every corner.

I drop into one of the free museums most days.

There’s a lot of green space.

London is much finer with good weather.
Southwark Cathedral

There are many excellent street performers.

My favourite this time was Mex.fs, an acoustic lap tap/percussive guitarist.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

London – Notting Hill Carnival 2022

I happened to be in London during the Notting Hill Carnival, which had been cancelled the previous 2 years due to Covid.

Fun. Loud. Fragrant with the smells of cooking barbecue.

Dancing. Drinking.

I particularly like how ANYONE with any kind of body and any kind of costume is welcome to join in the parade. Very body positive.

Saturday is the family friendly parade. Plenty of activities for kids.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

No anger or violence that I could see. Of course there’s a large police presence — all very friendly.

… an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1965 … each August over two days (the August bank holiday Monday and the preceding Sunday).

It is led by members of the British Caribbean community, and attracts around two and a half million people annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals, and a significant event in British African Caribbean and British Indo-Caribbean culture. …

Everyone welcome. If I’d put on my make-up, costume and peacock headdress, I’d have fit right in. 😀

My only previous experience with Carnival was in Colonia, Uruguay in 2018.

related – Notting Hill carnival 2022 – in pictures

ODESZA – The Last Goodbye (feat. Bettye LaVette)

Fantastic.

I’m really getting into an electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington ➙ Odesza.

Check this tune remixed with vocals from Bettye LaVette’s 1965 hit song “Let Me Down Easy“.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Here’s how they created that masterpiece.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. New interview with Bettye Lavette.

CBGB – 2013 film

I had a PUNK stage.

It was ME New Year’s Even crashing off the dance floor, knocking down the drums at the Calgarian Hotel. The pogo dancing was fierce.

I threw up in a Volkswagen Beetle — woke up in a closet atop all the winter boots.

CBGB is a 2013 film that follows the story of Hilly Kristal‘s New York club from its concept as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock ‘n’ roll and punk.

Opened 1973, the dive became a famed venue of punk rock and new wave bands like the RamonesTelevisionPatti Smith GroupBlondie, and Talking Heads.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

From the early 1980s onward, CBGB was known for hardcore punk. …

The club closed upon its final concert, played by Patti Smith, on October 15, 2006. …

CBGB’s two rules were that a band must move its own equipment and play mostly original songs …

In 1978, new wave songwriter Elvis Costello would open shows for The Voidoids, while The Police played at CBGB for their first American gigs. …

Hilly Kristal died from complications of lung cancer on August 28, 2007. …

wikipedia

This was one of Alan Rickman’s last films. He died unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer age-69.

OMFUG stands for Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.

Jain – Makeba

Jain (Jeanne Louise Galice) is a French singer-songwriter and musician. …

A music video for the single “Makeba” was released to Jain’s official YouTube channel on 30 November 2016. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 …

wikipedia

The song references Miriam Makeba also known as “Mama Africa”, a South African singer and activist.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

James Taylor Autobiography

Like most people my age, I’m a big fan of James Taylor.

My favourite is “Long Ago and Far Away“.

In 2020 he published an audio/music autobiography of his first 21 years:

Break Shot: My First 21 Years

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In an era of many folk singer / songwriters, James got lucky when a friend gave a demo tape to Peter Asher, head for the Beatles‘ newly formed label Apple Records.

Paul McCartney and George Harrison liked his voice. Told Asher to sign him to the label.

James recorded his 1st album 1968 at Trident Studios, at the same time the Beatles were recording The White Album.

Though born into a privileged (dysfunctional) family, James struggled with depression and drug addiction.

The big breakthrough was 1970 with “Fire and Rain“.

Fire and Rain” was inspired by the suicide of Suzanne Schnerr, a childhood friend, and James’ experiences with drug addiction and fame:

I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Carole King wrote You’ve Got a Friend” as a reaction to that line. It was his first #1 hit 1971.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch You’ve Got A Friend on YouTube.

Long Ago and Far Away by James Taylor

A big fan of James Taylor in my youth, the song that means most to me many years later is Long Ago and Far Away.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. He was age-23 in 1971.

On the Mud Slide Slim album version Joni Mitchell sings background vocals and Carole King plays piano.

Video Edits Inspired by a Song

Machine Gun Kelly — play this when I’m gone — inspired Jake Frew’s 2020 pandemic video.

Jake Frew is a master video creator. Right now he’s on a road trip to meet and collaborate with other video editors he admires.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I loved a song by Girl in Red, the indie pop music project of Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven Ringheim. The music dictated everything I put into this fan video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

NO WARS – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda is the best anti-war song I know. Pete Seeger called it “one of the world’s greatest songs.”

Remind yourself that old men of privilege and power like Putin send young men to needless deaths.

Click PLAY or watch the Pogue’s version on YouTube.

It was written by Scottish-Australian Eric Bogle in 1969.