On the playlist 30/JAN/2019...

Been listening to a bit of Youssou N'Dour this afternoon and his album "Egypt". This album is a bit different for this Sengalese musician as it incorporate Egyptian and muslin sounds. The album was originally slated for release in 2001 but it was delayed a couple years for obvious reasons. Although a bit different for Youssou it makes sense as he is a Muslim and this album contains songs that are distinctly Muslim not only in sound but also in the content of the lyrics. The album was controversial not in the West where it was well received but rather in Muslim countries where it was felt that making this music popular was disrespectful to the religion. Regardless, for my I enjoy the softer tone to it with the clearly African rhythms and some Middle Eastern sounds on it.

On the playlist 29/JAN/2019…

Was finishing up reading Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" this evening and what better music to listen that a bit of the Dead. I put on "Live at Hollywood Palladium from August 6, 1971" as I read the final chapters of the story of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters.

The combination set the scene for recalling the one and only time I saw the Grateful Dead in the early 90s in Oregon. I decided to take the company car (back in the day when monitors were given company cars) down to Oregon from Vancouver and camp at a Grateful Dead concert. A very good friend of mine who had turned me on to the Dead was going to drive down just for the concert and he assured me that going down the night before and camping would be cool. We got there early enough that we were able to go out again with the car to get supplies after getting our spot. I had figured out a great business idea and pretty much paid for my whole trip. We went out with the car and loaded it up (I mean as much beer as I could stuff into it and it was a large 4-door sedan) with various micro-brewed beer. We then proceeded to sell that beer at considerable mark-up to all the poor schleps that arrived later and couldn't get out to do a beer run. It was quite the night to say the least about it and I made quite a bit of money selling my beer from the trunk of the company car. The concert the next day was great but nothing like the experience of the night before. Got to love the dead and the dead heads!

On the playlist 28/JAN/2019...

In my quest for the ultimate in 8-bit midi style music I have discovered some new music in this genre. I am listening to "Healing" by In Love With a Ghost. This is a Paris based artist and the album is a story about witches, magic and friendship. The trippy 8-bit sound is pure j-pop in its sound but this is an artist from Paris which is brings some Western themes to the music and I love the artwork. Anyway, I enjoyed it.