Hai there folks on the world wide web, how you're all doing? It's been a while and that feels good. That last TVD album sure did stir a few ears, so I'm really enjoying the afterglow.
Well, you have to dissapear once in a while, don't you? Vanish you dutchman!
Take a deep breath of fresh air. The summer breeze helps to relax, it sure feels good.
But I'm a restless soul....
I've got an instrumental album in the can (For Your Pleasure Vol.3. Not sure when it will be finished, but I've got more than enough to fill more than one album.
Yes this is the first one...
.... and here's the second one
To take the time off of the whole process of songwriting, playing, recording and all the the usual bullshit and excitement of finishing an album, I usually start all over again....uhh don't help me... yes... addiction no.1.
To take my time off, I take my time off.
Of course I sleep...eat...sit down, talk with the wife, enjoying daily life with the kids (they grow up so fast!). For the needed stimulation of writing songs, especially lyrics, I watch Hollywoodfree european, eastern movies and follow TV series
F?ck
(for example Mr.Robot, The Walking Dead, Fargo, House Of Cards), I read biographies about...Nilsson. It's all about fun and excitement to get in the right frame of mind. To vanish gracefully.
For aspiring songwriters especially
Not a day goes by without touching a few strings or hitting some black or white keys. I often (try to) play songs of the famous american songbook (Nat king cole, Gershwin, Porter) next to the usual pop standard fare. Educational. There's the constant stream of possible ideas floating in and out, so I've got about 10 contenders (recorded, arranged) for the new album. There will be more. One is instrumental and two have already vocals. The rest needs lyrics. That's the tricky part that sometimes needs more room to grow to find the right words. I need the distance for reflection. When I've got the melody I usually start singing spontanuously, expressing blablanana nonsense vowels, that often help to find the fitting words.
Never thought it would happen, so I totally missed the show last night. Never say never!
A 3-hour prime time show (between 9-12 hours pm) hosted by Tom Robinson. Next to the well-known artisrs/bands, he always plays a few gems from his BBC6 Mixtape too. Lucky me!
Handpicked by the one and only Tom Robinson (2-4-6-8 Motorway), one hour of fresh new songs on his mixtape. Airtime 12 june, 02.00 A.M. (english teatime).
The competition is very fierce each week, so choosing favourites out of 170 tracks must be earbleeding for a radio dj!
The more so a rare treat to be on BBC radio of course. And in the next few weeks, Chalky has a chance to be played again on Tom's Saturday Show. The third song in succession now, after "Bomb Won't Go Off" and "Stupid Song's". Thanks Tom!
Listen/ download Podcast HERE
You can find all the stories/ artists HERE
Yes, that's right. Fred Pach wrote this nice, dutch review of my latest songs on Muziekwereld. Glad he did. Let the summer begin!
English; "The album Open Up My Parachute of the Dutch multi-instrumentalist /
singer-songwriter JoosTVD (aka Joost van Dinther, with musical nickname
Joost The Vanished Dutchman)) is a notable release because on the one
hand a very successful one-man project and by the varied musical
character, a mix of r & B, funk, pop and Latin, often still covered
with a jazzy twist.We can talk right here from a solo project,
as Van Dinther is not only responsible for the lyrics and lyrics,
recording, mixing and mastering, but also take all the vocals, guitar
and bass, keyboards and percussion for his account in his own studio !
All this leads to a pleasant mix of twelve alternating frequently
'danceable' tracks. This jump for me personally the songs Dancing
Dutchman, It's A Struggle Honey and Ha Veda Veda just slightly above the
high average level of this album. Open Up My parachute was to my
pleasant musical introduction to the work of Joost van Dinther and in my
opinion is also a very successful musical project."
Dutch: "Het album Open Up My Parachute van de Nederlandse
multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter JoosTVD (alias van Joost van
Dinther, met als muzikale bijnaam Joost The Vanished Dutchman)) is een
opvallende release vanwege enerzijds een zeer geslaagd eenmansproject en
anderzijds door het afwisselend muzikale karakter, een mix van r&b,
funk, pop en latin, veelal nog overgoten met een jazzy sausje. We
kunnen hier met recht spreken van een soloproject, want Van Dinther is
niet alleen verantwoordelijk voor de songteksten en lyrics, opnames,
mixing en mastering, maar neemt tevens alle vocalen, gitaar- en
baspartijen, keyboards en percussie voor zijn rekening in zijn eigen
studio! Dit alles leidt tot een aangename mix van twaalf afwisselende
veelal ‘dansbare’ tracks. Hierbij springen wat mij persoonlijk betreft
de nummers Dancing Dutchman, It’s A Struggle Honey en Ha Veda Veda nog
net iets meer uit boven het gemiddeld hoge niveau van dit album. Open Up
My Parachute vormde voor mijn een aangename muzikale kennismaking met
het werk van Joost van Dinther en wat mij betreft is dan ook sprake van
een zeer geslaagd muzikaal project.."
On Musicmeter
(original source: Muziekwereld)
For those who can remember those high platform soled shoes and wide open blouses (with those flowery chesthair growing out), cool fancy moves of John Travolta: just try to recall how you once moved to all of those infectious grooves. Chic? Ohio Players? Earth, Wind & Fire?
The next song also recalls a few favourite dancefloor fillers. Yes, you'll find out...but first dance.
How did I/ do you do that?
(lyrics/ music: JoosTVD)
Used to dig those disco parties
Freaking dancing on the floor
That backseat hanky panky
Sneaking out backdoors
Still get those chilling fevers
When I play back "Daddy Cool"
And all those desperate leavers
All lined up dancing fools
Now you're gonna show us why you love that dancing floor
You used to go down on it ("that's the way I liked it")
Kooling with the gang ("get down on it")
Well that's the way you liked it (aha aha)
Shake your booty now and then ("shake your body")
Hai there, it's been a while. Just took a break from blogging. Didn't need too. Let the music work its way out...
I've been busy...gathering links of all of those websites that posted my album without my knowledge.
too obvious when...
4 april it landed. 5 april I googled and there already was a webrip (example) to be found on numerous websites. The source said Googleplay. Others (like those russian forums) followed quick.
Am I angry about this?
For 90% I am not. I am very flattered that someone took the time and effort to upload my songs and to share them, with the purpose to find new listeners. Great flashy designed websites to look at too.
With so much music coming out everyday, if someone spreads that unknown JoosTVD around, the more people I can reach. And every new year brings an increase of links my and your way.
Sure I do a little promotion myself with Soundcloud, Youtube and Reddit. Sharing is caring they say.
The other 10% means ther's still a need to upload someone's work (something I've worked very hard for), while we all have easy access to streaming services, like Spotify (more than 1 billion streams a week). It's still needed to grab it illegally.
This means the old music industry still fails. Who gains the most of payed albums anyway?
What do you think?
Here is all you've been waiting for. Ah, sometimes you need a login. Need a password?
Choose "easy"
The process of songwriting/ recording/ mixing/ mastering
May 2014 I began writing and recording the new stuff. Already had a flow of ideas in the bag, so no worries in that department. I've been spending a lot of time mixing and mastering the songs though. Youtube and other friendly sound engineers helped me out with the technical know how much more further. Yes, I try to learn about every aspect of the process. Next time I hope to do things much more efficient in the recording process.
Inspiration for the title
Every year I try to come up with another appropiate title that epitomise what these songs stand for.
Guess Zappa's quotes brought me the one that connects those 12 songs.
And...I already had a few songs with a "parachute" reference. Your mind only works if one opens it. With songwriting, that seems not that difficult for me. Just jump fearlessly into the free air...just dare.
That introvert face on the frontcover stands for my introvert side and my wife's selfie reflex has captured that right on the spot.
I sort of invite you all to open up my parachute and you'll see/hear...... the songs will jump out of my head.
(next: released a parachute and where did it land?)
You've listened already? Here's some information about the 12 parachutes. I think this is my most accessible and dancable record so far, so let's follow our restless feet, while reading. Hope you like.
It's all in the mind
01.Chalky
A burst of restless energy I tried to put down in a tight fit arranged funk. Started as one of the first new songs for this album, inspired by the dense grooves of 1980's Remain In Light era Talking Heads, but heading (totally?) elsewhere eventually. The working out of the tightness in accents and the finishing of various arrangements took me almost a year, before I was really satisfied. I am now.
02.Dancing Dutchman
A little nostalgic throwback to my numerous dance moves I left on the dancefloor hearing those seventies soul (Chic, Kool & The Gang, Rose Royce, KC & The Sunshine Band) in those after midnight discotheques. Proud of the melodic chorus and the groove, which convinced me to put on my dancing shoes again.
03.Everything Is A-Okay
Is it okay? Most of the time. With this song I think I've reached a very accessible side of the melodic and the rhythm of exotic coolness with a few instrumental adventures in the middle too.
04.Jump For Your Life
Searching for that parachute that brings joy and playfulness. Just jump and watch what happens. Old fashionated pop and bluesy funk.
05.The Riddle Room
One song idea from the last album sessions that needed more time to develop. Just a funny motive on piano started another riddle in my room.
06.It's A Struggle Honey
Two ideas (one melodic, another rhythm) put together in dreamlike fashion. An old trick: use that mod & pitchwheel on the keyboard. I freaked a lot throughout the album.
07.Hipster Mind
Hipster was the word of 2015 (but it's so old), but the hipness is gone. A piano & guitar motive accent on a pulsing groove pushed this into a song. Starts off like an voice-over intro to a hip chatty radioshow, but that slow, threatening groove gets in the way.
08.Issues?
The question mark says it all. I connected this funky bassline with a accenting guitarpattern and voila. Just dance the seventies (Gap band, Ohio Players,...) to it.
09.Parachute
A song for superman! Slapstick enters. Silent movies. Finally flying! Goofing off.
10.Cosmopolitan Circus
Instrumental stuff to rest my voice. I liked working on this a lot. It's different. A bit Kurt Weilish. European vaudeville? I recorded piano parts in a few takes. I put a few "hymnlike voicing" plugins on the melodies for the angelic atmosphere. Proud of this.
11.The Slippery Slope
Inspired by the 1965 movie "Mirage" featuring Gregory Peck. I like mystery, so a song developed from there. It begins and it ends more or less the same.
12.Ha Veda Va
Latinesque. That chant doesn't mean a thing, just a few fitting spanish words put together for us to sing: Ha= it has. Veda= farewell. Va= will. Cryptic? Yes maybe, but what does "trolololololo" mean? Hope I don't offend anyone.
Solo on keyboard at the last part, that's me pitching the sound, combining horns, organ and guitar.
That's it folks, my story. Maybe you listen to these songs with other ears now.
Sunday afternoon, sun on my head, feet on the floor. Relaxing, enjoying the springtime, slowly creeping in the sky.
I've been collecting all of those (JoosTVD) radioplays again. I was just wondering how to find those radiostations.
I'm grateful for them, because it has widened my audience of listeners all over the planet. The list keeps on growing, so with a list I try to make sense of it all. There are such highpoints if a broadcaster has chosen my songs for his/ her shows, like when Tom Robinson played "Bomb Won't Go off" on his prime time, saturday evening BBC6 radio show. A recognition from a musical hero of mine is like "winning" an oscar.
Some DJ-less radiostions have a playlist that have regularly featured the same songs, so the list is long.
Twitter gives you a pretty good idea which songs (old and new) have been played so far. Search for Joos TVD and voila: Twitter search for Joos TVD radiowaves
Nathan Norgel's translation of a german review for
Joos TVD - Open Up My Parachute
You should sing his new songs in the shower says Joos TVD. And it's not necessary to have a parachute with you there. What does that mean? Joos TVD did an album full of humor with "Open Up My Parachute". And he does a coursing across every musical style you may think of in his songs.
What does it need to get great pop songs? Of course you need melodies, that go straight to your head and a groove to make you dance on the spot. And every great pop song needs lyrics to make you laugh or cry. Yes, you can say: "Open Up My Parachute" very close to be a perfect pop album!
Joos TVD has once again put together rhythms and melodies in his studio, that make you think of Frank Zappy (without the guitar, but with his sense of humor). Sometimes you may also think of the jazzy pop by Steely Dan or even of songs by The Talking Heads (when it gets funky). With songs like "Hipster Mind" the Dutchman starts to rap even. The song about the parachute, which does not want to open, reminds me of movie songs of the 1930s. There are really no limits for Joos TVD. And that's a good thing - because it is never boring to listen to his new and old songs .
No, I probably will not begin to sing in the shower. And I really don't have a parachute with me. But I most certanly wil listen to "Open Up My Parachute" a lot in the next weeks. This pop music is very addictive!
Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe I'm a pompous fool. Maybe we all are. So this for the fanatical music collectors out there.....
Anyone recognizes this situation? Sure, come on, you have to! How to handle all this data I've been buiding up all these years. The digital way of organising stuff is almost getting out of hand.
I've got 6 harddisks now: 2 ssd's, 2 intern hdd's and 2 extern hdd's. Too much? Well I've been a compulsive collector of music (my own and my favourites), books and video. Some of it you can digitize, some you just have to keep plain analog. I still got all my vinyl and cd's stored up safely (these are definately shrinking now) for sentimental reasons more or less, but I've got them all backed up too. Movies on VHS tape an cassettes, well, you can't watch them after 10 years I guess. I've been collecting and organising more and more and I need more space. kb, mb, gb, tb......?
SSD harddisks are very popular (read here Benchmark Reviews), so I've added the latest 850PRO ssd I already had a ssd 840PRO from Samsung to work better (more smoothly and faster) with Po Tools.
More speed, more space, more, more, more...!
Ok, ok. Not only you can hear it, there's something to watch by.
When everything goes as planned, the new album "Open Up My Parachute" will arrive globally around 4 april on the usual streaming services, like Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, Amazon. Links will follow ASAP. Fingers crossed, legs necked!
So no better way than to start off with THE promo:
Inspiration for it aka who is this "Chalky"?
What you hear is the song that opens the album: Chalky. The supporting promo video shows all the pictures that have been involved with the artwork. You can see the changes in design, colour, fonts. Yes, it's all in a lowbudget DIY way that keeps it personal and what drives me to do it like this.
My rhythmic side pushed forward and I seem to use each frame as a rhythm response to any accent in the music. Well, it's a funky track so I had to.
Who is this... "Chalky"? It's inspired by that afro-american guy, who played this cool, smooth survivor in the thrilling TV series Boardwalk Empire. Chalky (White), a ironic nickname. I liked the sound of it and it fit perfectly with this "dangerous" groove I've been working on.
Enjoy!
Just heard from the disribution company AMAdea that the album is approved: ready to take off. Expect to hear it around 4 april 2016 on almost any online service (see picture for proof)! Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, Amazon, Google music, to name a few.
Fingers crossed, legs necked.
Lot of services!
The artwork.
So sure, I'll show you my new work! Here are the Covers, title & the songlist for the new 2016 album. Which pictures did I choose?
The following steps will make it clear:
1.The original which I boosted a bit in colour?
2.The sober variation?
Yeah, that's me "full" in the face. The narcistic pose. Growing grey,
but not bald yet, haha. At first not really in the mood for a selfie
from the wife sitting next to me, after an endless bicycle tour.But what the heck, we were on holidays and I was looking for a bit of deserved peace and happiness.....
3.Mr. sepia with brown coloured accents?
The original picture was in colour I kinda liked, though I wanted to put my own stamp on it. I tried B&W first, which I also liked, but eventually I chose the old fashionated sepia, which I really liked! Colour? A little accent in the lettertype.
Who cares about a title?
Me of course. Identity! As for the title, the word "parachute"- also featured in two songs- gave me positive vibes. I never ever did jump literally, but I often opened up to a few things, both positive and negative. Dare.
So with this album, I just seem to say: "let's jump, hear/ see what happens..."
Don't pull my hair please...
Open Up My Parachute
The original frontcover
Unfortunately, as I uploaded the picture to the distribution department, I
had to remove the familiar "The Vanished Dutchman" name as most online
stores only allow the artistname. Yeah, vanished!
Frontcover without "The Vanished Dutchman" name
Remember?
For the backcover I chose another picture- made by the wife during our holidays- that I liked. It contrasts with the cover of my previous album, where I ascend the stairs. This time I descend the stairs, walking into the unknown.Well, sort of.
1.The original boosted colour
2.B&W: more mystery
3.Sepia coloured with black framework
Back Cover (notice "The Vanished Dutchman" name present)
Well, curiousity killed the cat. Went out for a lunch after mixing and mastering the latest tracks. Someone (me), sneaked into my studio, sniffed around and touched my jewels! All captured (me) on tape. (me) Hit some forbidden bar and some song (from me) starts playing...at the wrong speed. Better not watch. Yet. Don't-do-it. Don't! Wait for the real one.
I've warned you, didn't I? It's gonna be allright. Soon...soon!
It's time for my confession. To talk to you about my chronic addiction. Everyone's got one: well, mine is a my ongoing music collecting habit. These days I'm inclined to go back to my old favourites, so the urge to stay ahead of any new, hip trend is minimilized to a few listens of easy googling. The reason for this sudden come out, is the "sudden" deaths of idols, like David Bowie, Allen Toussaint, Maurice White and Dan Hicks that triggered me to go back to my Golden Years of that addiction. It's far from complete when I talk about specific albums though. They just represent a few precious and personal moments.
Feel free to respond. Why not leave your own anecdote?
How did that start? It was the Summer of Love, this kid was about 4 years old and very curious. My first obsession with music was with my daddy's turntable, (spinning all kind of records that could play different tempos, 33, 45, 78 rpm), by watching the grooves going round. My first auditory learning. My father had an enormous amount of different records, like classical, jazz, blues, pop, rock that kept my ears wide open. This curious kid was also fascinated by that needle...what did that do? And where did that sound come from? As I was forbidden to touch that thing in any way, I could not help myself thinking about it and doing what daddy was doing just by breaking that golden rule. Wrong. I wanted to be the DJ in da house! Wrong. So one night I sneaked downstairs. Wrong! In the darkness I nervously picked out a random record-wrong- and laid it down on the turntable. So wrong! It all went dramatically downhill when I tried to put the needle on the edge of the record. My not so steady fingers pushed it all the way to the center of the plate. Gggrriiiiechhh!! Oeps, did I offend someone? Maybe I was the first scratcher in the dark, before it became hip. Yeah, right. All you see now, is a scratch going right through the grooves where the once powerful voice of Maria Callas stopped in its tracks and instead turned into this upset and hurt witch, as my father would show me many years later. Shame on sneaky me. I HAD to have one for myself! When I was about 11 years old, a turntable in a suitcase with one speaker (mono!) became my companion for the next few years. O my god, how many records did I spoil on that thing. The cheap needles did the destroying work. Fustrating when it was skipping or when it was repeating the same groove over and over. Almost made me hate the song! I still have those crippled records by the way. My first ambitious buy was a greatest hits double album of the Rolling Stones(Rolled Gold) with all of their sixties hits, like Satisfaction, Ruby Tuesday, Jumping Jack Flash and all their famous rest......excitement! I got lost track of this one somewhere, somehow though. Hey, it was a cheap pressing anyway. During these times I discovered the record stores. My mother took me along for an initiation to the obvious expensive ones, where you couldn't find anything special. But no tears, there were alternatives. Ah yes, the secondhand stores.
Not a lot of money in my pocket restricted me to the "unknown" names of artists/ bands that didn't sell at the time. If a cover was appealing enough I would buy it. One time I thought I had bought the first solo album of John Lennon (Plastic Ono Band 1970) for a bargain. I found out why.... It was Yoko Ono's version. O no. Sometimes I got lucky: I didn't know them well then, but arty, experimental albums of Can (Soon of Babaluma 1975) and Roxy Music (For Your Pleasure 1973) were eyeopeners and I'm still glad I've encountered them. They helped the exploration further. An urge to find any rare item of my favourite artists/ bands become a growing obsession. My collection grew and grew the more I broadened my musical palette, searching certain byways. At the start of the seventies I was basically a Pop music fan. Especially appealing were the harmony vocals, singalong melodies, but I could not
avoid those anyway as my parents kept the volume way up high. So many radio hits of the sixties had become part of my consciousness already as there was so much to explore. I saw a snowball and went after it. "Stamp" The influences I'm obviously talking about here, are the Beatles, Kinks stamp or the energetic side of pop in powerpop, the Who/ Stones
stamp. All unmistakenly english, but basically influenced by americana. Sort of the heir to the Beatles and the answer for the seventies to my young ears were the infectious melodies of the first arty period
(1973-1976) of 10cc. I still go back to
these first three very fun and clever albums if I'm in need of some
fresh inspiration. I bought them later on though, when I had more
holes (=money in my hand). I liked Prog-Rock, but it tried to top the Fabfour in too may scales, often in vain as it would turn out. All and all, I'm more of an art-rock (ironic, sarcastic, sardonic) than a prog-rock (too serious) fan, if you ask
me.
"a fixated mindset on the snowball that kept on rolling"
No city was safe. You could find me searching for any secondhand recordstore. I often consulted the dutch pop-encyclopedies, studied them to prepare myself more thoroughly. Listened to the radio. Made lists of "wanna have" items. Read magazines. Followed hitparades. Exchanged news with other nerds. Went to concerts. Got lost at music fairs. A fixated mindset on the snowball that kept on rolling. I Searched for all the-so so- recommended albums and often got them for a nice price. Collector items? Too expensive. Zappa? Not available, only import. Too expensive. Later on, I had my digital revenge. Still I could find a few underrated albums as well before they were collector's items years later.
I was often so, so lucky.
Books to read and the place to be
As my turntables got better, so did the
needles and so my records were safe from harm. One of my favourite recordstores at the
end of the seventies up until the millennium, was "Concerto" in
Amsterdam. The concept of four
different stores (secondhand, new popular, jazz and classical) next to
eachother under the same banner, was a pretty sight to see. The balance of the old and the new. With the smell of
secondhand vinyl in my nose in the morning, I eagerlessly walked the long walk
from central station right through the crowded centre to that long street near Rembrandsplein, just
to get me some of those rare stuff. That was my only drug then. Didn't need a coffeshop man!
Sometimes I hesitated though
I remember watching David Bowie's "Golden Years" on television around 1976. I found it all too strange. A white man singing "Soul"? I was already familiar with his androgyne look witnessing "Jean Genie" and his haunting "Space Odessey". I even purchased his early work, (a compilation "Changes One"), but this was different altogether. Black music was spreading like oil in influence, as witnessed by his funky track "Fame" from 1975, which James Brown (!) ironically stole its guitar lick from (played by his ex-guitarist Carlos Alomar, then Bowie's) for his 1976 "Hot"song.
I was intrigued by this, rhythmically hypnotic, repeating wah-wah sound and its heavenly sung melody. It hit me in the gut. I didn't really know about funk or soul then. It was the time of high-heeled platform shoes, just after the Hustle dance craze as disco glitter balls and coloured floorlights were changing the view of the ballrooms. Well and here was that Thin White Duke crooning all over an infectious groove, slowly, slipping underneath my skin. I had to find out about it. Which album it was on. I had to have it! I soon found that B&W cover with the red title and artist letters looking like one word in the nearest recordshop, staring at it for a long time. I couldn't afford the full price yet. I almost wanted to steal it. No downloads possible then. In 1977 I had a few bucks more, by saving birthday gifts from generous uncles and aunts. There it was, just waiting for me to grab it. I clearly remember it was christmas and the albums had a special low-price sticker on them. Still.... I didn't buy it! What the F...?
Tastes develop and so was mine, restless and always evolving. Sort of. I couldn't help myself. For example, I had a soft spot for the softpop-progrock of Supertramp ("Just A Little Bit" was their 1977 hit) and the very melodic album "Even In The Quietest Moments" had the right price.
Yes, I bought that one instead. O my.
Fate.
I can't recall how, but eventually I even got my hands on "Station To Station" as well. My mother loved his version of "Wild Is The Wind", as she loved Nina Simone's, so I think she bought it and I usually had to hear her favourite song over and over and then again. Very loud. Maybe we eventually swapped albums. Wathever happened, when I finally listened to the whole record I was hOOked on David Bowie and the snowball rolled on to R&B, Soul and Funk. "Staaaaayyyyy....". When Bowie died, I had to go back to that album. Sure, this one is a favourite, but "Low" and "Heroes" are too. That whole period 1976-1978 was a magical one for me. Soon I was checking out other white guys that "did" black music, even more when I saw this on TV (Vid.): Boz Scaggs. The unavoidable hits "What Can I Say and "Lowdown". That smooth,
slick and sophisticated sound and rhythm patterns got me
hooked. The word was "crossover", before it became AOR. Melody and rhythm combined, that was the key! Blue-eyed soul it was called.
His
old bandmate Steve Miller's
"Fly Like An Eagle" crossovered me too. What Could I Say?
I was already aware of the irresistable, hypnotic rhythms though.Of course James Brown's "Sexmachine" comes to mind. It got a lot of spins on seventies radio, so one could not avoid it. No way. I still had to feel it in my gut.
It was the overdone and outragous image of black music that put me off at
first. I couldn't take it all too seriously. Found out it was me who was
too serious.
It hit me like a rhythm
stick, I loved it!
I couldn't find the studio version right away, but then
I saw this double live album by the Commodores.
Wow, why not try out the "live" version, maybe there's more excitement! Got that right brother. And one of the reasons I
wanted to play the drums I guess. Still I had to discover Sly and P-Funk. But this gave me some fresh, positive vibes. I was funked and ready for more.
Thanks to that one hell of a smart Mr. Bowie.
Speaking of live albums in 1976: it became a trend when Peter Frampton's
"Comes Alive" came out and found its way in every household on any
block of the world. Yes, the sensation of the big stadium tours.
Another successful double-well, half live- album was Santana's
"Moonflower" that turned me on to the more adventurous and unexpected
syncopated side of rhythm: Latin music (salsa, samba, bosa nova, jazz).
And then BAM, "Punk" washed the bubbling and overblown progrockhipfest thing away.
And what do you think was my reaction....??
I moved on, still bought more, went digital, but kept my collection. I also save them on hardisks.
Hey folks, let's begin with some fresh eye-openers. My musical parachute will open up in the near future, if my mind will let it. Guess Frank's wise words have triggered me and inspired me. 2016 will open up a few more sensible parachutes I hope.
The new album will have 12 songs on it. Just finished the artwork, but I'm still busy working on the mixes. Just let those songs breath a little more. It's gonna be great!
Have a nice (2016) everyone.
