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Freedom
We are currently in stage three of lockdown. What this means is most businesses are now open and we are that bit closer to normal life. Except it will likely still be a while until we have to stop physically distancing.
Our state currently has 21 cases of covid-19 still ongoing with none in the hospital. None of these were community transmissions so I am feeling safer to be out in the community now. The current cases mostly came from a ship that came into port a couple of weeks ago. The others are people who came back to WA from overseas. All the current cases have been quarantined in a hotel while they recover.
My swimming lessons will be back in session the week after next. I haven’t tried to swim yet even though the pools opened a couple of weeks ago. Once I got notice the lessons were about to restart, I decided to hold off on getting one of the special temporary memberships. At the moment you have to book in to the pool and there are limits on how many people can be at the pool at the same time. I did go to the pool with my client through work but only got in to do walking in the water and didn’t get my head wet. At the time the change rooms weren’t available so it wasn’t ideal. But the weather has been unusually warm for the start of winter so it wasn’t too bad. Now the change rooms are available so it is far more useful even though the weather is still rather warm. (We still have windows open here as it’s not been cold enough long enough to close them.)
I haven’t felt confident enough to even consider going to any of the protests in the city though. I’m not sure how well they did the distancing at the previous ones but I feel it’s just too risky at the moment. I heard today there was a man at the Melbourne protest who was just diagnosed. I hope it hasn’t spread to others who were there. I guess we will find out more in the next week or two.
I forgot to add that the Scientist and I went out to eat at a restaurant on our anniversary (May 22) for the first time since before my birthday. It was a lovely evening and it was good to see restaurants more properly open again.
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Milestone reached
I can officially claim I have reached menopause as of Monday. My last period started a year ago on the 8th of June and lasted about a day and nothing since. It’s kind of weird to think I am there finally. I still have a menstrual cup and a few disposable supplies but it feels not quite right to get rid of them just yet even though I shouldn’t be having anything else at this point. I wonder how long it will be until I am ready to do that…
I am supposed to get some bone density tests done now since osteoporosis runs in my family. There’s probably more I need to have checked but I will talk to my doctor about it on my next visit.
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Due to the stress and…
Last week we were able to attend a tai chi class in person for the first time in weeks. We “attended” on Tuesday night online but decided to drop in on the Wednesday morning class which was running due to restrictions being relaxed. It was wonderful to be together even with social distancing, which isn’t a big deal since we usually keep a bit of space to do the tai chi anyway.
Afterwards, the Scientist and I got bit of food and drink and hung out with tai chi friends for several hours. We hadn’t planned to stay quite that long but it was much needed and did a great job at improving mental health. The Scientist even took time from work (which he made up later) to go there. Anyway, it was great and made us hope for a quicker return to our own class which is held in a surf lifesaving club that hasn’t reopened yet.
That evening I noticed my lower lip was sore and I thought maybe I got a bit of sunburn there. I didn’t think much of it at the time but it was still feeling a bit off for several more days. I think it was Sunday I woke up and there were two cold sores on my lower lip exactly where it had felt weird before. I should have known although that wasn’t the most typical symptom I’ve had for them before. It’s been a few years since the last one. And usually they only come as singles but this is a double. I went to the pharmacy and got some medicine to help it heal. It was too late for the one that reduces the period of infection but I was able to get something to help it heal. I attribute them to all the stress of the previous weekend making itself known on my body. But then I was reading sunlight can also trigger so maybe a combination caused it. Anyway, it’s still healing and uncomfortable and another thing I need to avoid touching my eyes for…
Here in Western Australia we’re on day six with no new covid-19 cases and now there are only ten people still recovering in the state. It’s all looking good, especially since we did have restrictions relaxed. I’m hoping the venue for our tai chi will reopen next week. We have been doing our virtual classes on our patio but it’s supposed to be stormy tonight and I don’t think the patio is going to work due to wetness, wind and noise. And I don’t think I’ll be able to get to the class tomorrow where it might be difficult due to more rain tomorrow morning. Or not.
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Okay I have now finished my challenge to myself. I must admit to struggling toward the end of this. I had written about four posts before I shared here so it seemed I had a big buffer for writing. But as often happens, life got in the way and my brain decided it wasn’t going to cooperate. The last two posts were stewing for several days and I couldn’t get anywhere with either of them. I wasn’t sure if I was going to include Led Zeppelin or not. But as I had trouble writing up Peter Gabriel it was possibly going to be used instead. But I finally got it all out, even if it wasn’t all quite as I wanted it to be. I’m pretty satisfied.
I might try some variations on this challenge in the future. I am a bit bothered that aside from Fleetwood Mac, there are no female performers here. Not to mention more cultural and ethnic diversity. I do like a lot of different types of music so I think it’s something I might explore at some point should I find enough to make it work.
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Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door
I know this was supposed to be ten albums but I decided to make a bonus, especially because it doesn’t fit neatly in with the others on the list.
I’ve liked the music of Led Zeppelin music pretty much as far as I can remember. But I’ve not really gone looking for it because for most of my memory, it was always there. When I was a teenager expanding my musical tastes more into the realm of rock music, this band was played all the time on the rock and album station I used to listen to. They even played full albums of their music at times since they were an album station. I never actually bought any of the albums until more recently. To be honest, I thought the Scientist had several of them in his collection. But on cd that’s not the case. And the vinyl we have is in a box at the back of our closet, not to mention there’s the lack of a turntable.
When I moved to Australia there was the distinct lack of a rock station in Perth. I’m not sure what the situation was in other areas but here the closest we got were a couple of stations that seemed to want to please everyone by covering a wider variety of music. That all changed for us several months ago when we got digital radio in our car. I discovered there was a classic rock station and access to music got much better. I was finally hearing music that I’d missed for the better part of 25 years. Of course they do play a lot of Led Zeppelin so it reignited my interest in the band.
Around the same time, I started streaming music on my phone while cycling. My phone provider gives free data for the music provider and I took advantage. I went out riding one day and chose a compilation of Led Zeppelin music and it was a brilliant experience. These songs were more of the well-known rocking songs that made me want to pedal just a bit harder. I had no idea it would work so well.
After listening to that collection, I was no longer satisfied and started listening to the full albums. This helped me file songs into the right compartments as I went along. I found a lot of music I didn’t know. But surprisingly, I found a whole lot that I did know. I’d been hearing them all my life but couldn’t tell you the titles of songs or which album they came from. With a few exceptions, of course. I actually knew the entire album of the Untitled IV, which probably shouldn’t be too surprising since that had got a lot of attention over the years.
Anyway, I’m not sure where my favoritism lies in the catalogue except to say that “Kashmir” from Physical Graffiti has been my favorite song for quite a few years after seeing a video of them playing it live. But as for albums, it’s too hard to choose right now.
So how did I settle on this record? Well it’s the only one of theirs that I became acquainted with in real time. When I revisited the album it all came rushing back to me that I knew this as a teenager. And aside from a couple of songs, I knew them all. I imagine that I must have heard this played on radio a few times during that time. It was quite a huge thing when the album was released. It was much like hearing The Wall by Pink Floyd or Some Girls by the Rolling Stones or Queen’s The Game because it was part of the memory of growing up.
In Through the Out Door isn’t exactly a fan favorite but I argue it does have some merit and for me it is associated with that time of my life when I was still in junior high and nearly ready to start high school.
Compared to other tracks on the record, “In the Evening” is a bit more like a standard Led Zeppelin track. It has an exotic sounding opening leading into a rocking track that goes on for a while.
“Fool in the Rain” is an enjoyable song that incorporates a bit of a Latin sound into the rock context. I remember this being played a lot back when it was released and it still stands up for me these days.
“All of My Love” is a ballad written in memory of Robert Plant’s son Karac who died a couple years earlier at age five from a stomach virus. I was aware of this back when it came out but I’d forgotten over the years. It’s a beautiful song but listening again, I can feel the love and pain for a lost child when I hear it.
“I’m Gonna Crawl” closes out the album and it harkens back to the bluesy sound of their earlier work. It’s not a song I remember well but I do recall hearing sometimes when the album was released.
I think part of the reason I remember this album is because it was the last studio album by the band before drummer John Bonham died in 1980. I do remember hearing about his death but it didn’t really affect me so much, particularly as it seemed mixed in with various other deaths in rockdom due to drugs and alcohol. I was far more affected a bit later when John Lennon was gunned down in New York.
The other part of this album that brings back memories is the packaging which was meant to appear like a bootleg, wrapped in brown paper to hide its identity. It was kind of cool looking in its way but I hadn’t thought of that package for a long time until I saw the deluxe release of it in the shops a while back.
While this will likely never be my favorite album by the band, I think it will always have some nostalgia for me and its part of the development of my musical tastes in real time is quite relevant to my interest today.
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Peter Gabriel: Us
My first memories of Peter Gabriel are mostly connected with mentions of his previous association with the band Genesis, and then with some of his early solo work, like “Solsbury Hill” and “Games without Frontiers”. Most of what I heard was was good but it’s not like I sought out his music. Then in the mid-80s he put out his most successful album, So, and became more of a mainstream star, partly thanks to that legendary video animation for “Sledgehammer”. I was listening right along with his music at this time and I did like it a lot although it wasn’t one of my priorities when it came to the record store.
It was 1992 and I’d been out of college and working for a few years and I guess you could say I was out in the real world by now. No it wasn’t my ideal plan to work in a call center, but it was a full-time job and I was pretty good at it and it did allow me a bit of space to indulge myself in my own interests. The Scientist and I were sharing an apartment and sometimes we would travel off together. We’d made three trips to Florida to Disney World within a few years. The Scientist’s parents were in Maryland and I would drive us to visit occasionally.
There was one instance when the Scientist went to Maryland separately and I joined them later on. I’d had to work so the plan was for me to drive up after my shift. I can’t recall specifics on the occasion but maybe it was around Christmas time. It was definitely winter time. My hours went until around 1am but I was a night owl and so I took off after work one night and drove. It just happened that there had been ice and snow on the roads going up through the top end of North Carolina and into Virginia. I particular recall getting close to Lynchburg and the roads being really slick and slippery. A truck had jackknifed along the way and traffic was held up. It was slow going the whole way. I didn’t have a car phone and I was on my own. Not an ideal time to be driving.
My only company was the radio and I remember hearing a few songs during that drive. One of them was the Spin Doctors’ “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” which I really liked. I think there was also a U2 song in there and then there was “Digging in the Dirt” by Peter Gabriel. I already knew the song but it has stuck in my mind that it played that night/morning. It was a song I really liked and the video for it was pretty cool too and it came to mind when it played, evoking thoughts of Peter Gabriel being buried alive and then covered with foliage and so on. The song kept me going in the middle of that night. I obviously did make it to my destination with great relief on my part and for those waiting for me.
At some point I came to own the album and it was an oft listened to cd. The song “Steam” became another big hit single and had another popular video. This song was more reminiscent in sound of “Sledgehammer” and I think was more successful than “Digging in the Dirt”. For my part I prefer “Digging in the Dirt” for the video and the song although I do like this song too.
“Kiss that Frog” is another interesting song that was released as a single. I don’t remember the video for that one but the song sticks in my mind as being one of my favorites from the album. It’s mainly a pop song with catchy tune and lyrics, obviously taking some inspiration from the fairy tale frog prince.
A lot of songs on this album are about relationships with others. “Come Talk to Me” is about a difficult time Gabriel had with the relationship with his daughter. It’s one of only a couple songs I know that features bagpipes. Another favorite for me is “Love to be Loved” which is kind of straightforward in its meaning. It’s filled with that very human longing for love and need.
I listened to this album again before writing and I remember why I liked this so much. I don’t have a lot of Peter Gabriel music in my collection but I like his music and this one is surely my favorite. I think the feelings expressed are kind of universal to people and their relationships. The music is also filled with nice little touches like the bagpipes and chill rhythms that you can relax into.
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Crowded House: Together Alone
A long time ago, I was a mere college student who lived in a dorm on campus. There was a college radio station that played a lot of music I’d never hear on mainstream radio. I wasn’t a regular listener but occasionally I would turn it on out of curiosity and one day I heard a song by this group called Split Enz. I’d never heard of them before and I don’t know what song it was. But the name of the group stayed in my mind long afterwards.
A couple years went by and we had a new student in the dorm, called the Scientist, who was from Australia. This would have been not too many years after “Down Under” by Men at Work came out so it still had a far away feel and exotic feel in North Carolina. Australia was a long way away, after all. After a time, the Scientist would share some of his interests and one of them was this group called Split Enz from New Zealand, which was hugely popular back home. I liked the music well enough but it didn’t hook me and life carried on.
More time passed and a new group entered the scene called Crowded House. The Scientist proudly mentioned how it was formed by one of the former members of Split Enz. Crowded House actually got a fair bit of radio play and eventually its signature song, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” became a thing of sorts. I liked the songs from Crowded House but I wasn’t hooked and life went on for many more years.
In 1993 the Scientist and I got married and plans were made to move to Australia. This was the year Crowded House released their major creative album, Together Alone. I still wasn’t hooked but I did take note of one song that year, “Locked Out” which was getting some decent play on the local rock station. I liked the song and I remember seeing the video often during that time. Any other songs from the record didn’t make too much of an impression at that time.
The following year, we moved to Australia and a few months later my first son was born. Life was pretty busy and there wasn’t much time for anything other than meeting the needs of this new person. I was still coming to know this new place where I lived. With regard to music, I soon understood how Split Enz were considered an iconic Australian band. Even though they were from New Zealand. I was hearing quite a lot more Crowded House on the radio and my knowledge of their catalogue increased a bit.
In November 1996, the band performed at a concert referred to as Farewell to the World. It was staged on the steps of the Sydney Opera House and was broadcast live on television here. At least for those living on the east coast. The band was breaking up and this was their last hurrah. When it was broadcast, the tv was on but I wasn’t watching that closely. It happened I was talking on the phone to my family, a not very frequent occurrence back then thanks to the expensive call rates, not to mention the time difference. While talking I would occasionally pay attention to what was happening on-screen but it wasn’t until we finished that I devoted any big attention. This was the first time I had put faces to the band and they put on a very entertaining show filled with music, chatter and lots of humor. By the end of that show I was finally hooked and I’m still a big fan of the band and its predecessor, Split Enz all these years later. The Scientist was nearly certain I would write about the third album, Woodface, for this challenge. It’s definitely one of their best works but I think I’m going to surprise him with something else.
When deciding which album to use here, I looked to the first real attention I paid to their music, the aforementioned “Locked Out”. The band was known more as a pop band but this was a more rocking song and maybe that’s where the seed was planted. After all it got a lot of play on the rock station I listened to so my exposure was considerably higher than it might have been from other stations. Funnily enough, this isn’t a song that I’ve heard often on the radio here in Australia.
The bigger candidate from that album is “Distant Sun”, a song I’m sure I had heard before I came here but probably not a lot. I discovered when checking details of the album that this song only reached number 23 on the charts when it was released here, a fact I find pretty amazing given the airplay it has now. This one is a great pop love song that makes for wonderful sing-alongs at shows.
Once when leader Neil Finn’s son was young and suffering from a fever, he came out with some curious words and phrases which inspired him to write the great song, “Pineapple Head”. It really does have that feeling of being not quite there and only catching some of the details of what’s happening around and threatening to pull you further away from reality.
There’s no chance I’d write about this album without mentioning my favorite Crowded House song. “Private Universe” was released in October 1994, the same month my son was born. I don’t remember ever hearing this on the radio back then but I loved it when I heard it the first time I played the album. I wouldn’t say this is a dreamy song but it does put me in mind of otherworldly and secret places and things. And it never fails to take me away from the real world for a few minutes when I hear this. This is one of those songs that gets played at almost all the live shows they do and it’s always fun to hear what sort of arrangement will be played. Once they started the show with this song and it came out all big and bold with lots of drumming and other percussion. It really did sound good that time but it was almost too soon. There wasn’t that feeling of anticipation while other songs were being performed and then basking in the joy of the crowd and the feeling of the song.
The last song I will mention is “Together Alone” the title track. It’s quite a moving piece beginning with Neil singing the first verse and a Maori choir and log drummers joining in as the song continues.
Over the past ten to fifteen years, I’ve seen several shows with the band and several related to the band. I’ve seen Neil Finn solo a few times too, and he always puts on a good show. He once played a show here, just off a long flight from the UK with just him playing guitar. It was still pretty amazing. Even “Don’t Dream It’s Over” came off really well without the seemingly integral organ playing.
Anyway, this group is one of my top bands/performers ever and being in Australia has leant itself to making them even bigger for me since I’ve been privileged to see them much more often than I would if I lived elsewhere. The charismatic drummer Paul Hester was a major factor in catching my attention back in 1996. It was due to his desire to get out that the band stopped at that point. Sadly Paul took his life in 2005 after struggling with mental health issues for many years. His death became a bit of a spark to restart the band, albeit with slight changes to personnel. Very recently the band has had a bit of a shake up and personnel have been upended quite a bit. I’m not sure how I feel about those changes but I feel pretty certain that I’ll like whatever they produce.
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Pat on the back
A few days ago, my bike ride turned into a particularly long one due to circumstances. One of those circumstances was that the final section of road on the nearby highway finished. This meant the bike path was open all the way to the end of the new highway. I will point out that it’s unlikely I’ll be travelling the whole way any time soon but it was kind of neat to know it was open.
The other circumstance related to an incident with a family member where I knew I had to speak up about something and it just made me ill to think about it. I was stressed and anxious when I went out and the other conditions were kind of right so I went off with expectations of turning around at the former end point of the path. I found, however, that despite playing my music while riding, I definitely wasn’t hearing it at all.
On that ride I travelled almost 40 kilometers round trip, which was pretty huge. It was kind of good for me to ride hard and long that day even if it didn’t make as much of a dent in the feelings I was having. On the other hand it was also kind of foolish since I had to make a return journey and I was cutting it close to dark. Not to mention I was expected to be back before a certain time so we could “play” a Zelda video game that evening. Anyway, I got back okay but the following day, I was feeling a bit wiped out, physically and emotionally.
Now after missing a day or two of exercise, there’s always a chance I will allow myself to fall back into old habits where I skip it altogether for to long. And with the cooler days it’s even easier to slip more often.
So there I was yesterday and I had spent a good part of the afternoon playing Animal Crossing. That issue I spoke about above was still ongoing although I wasn’t feeling quite as terrible as I’d been before. Procrastination on days that are getting shorter is never a good thing and I finally did get myself read to go out for a ride. The day before had actually been quite warm so it’s a shame I didn’t go out then. Yesterday was somewhat cooler and by the time I went out, the winds had picked up.
I had worn two shirts to keep warm and at the last minute decided to bring along a ratty light jacket just in case. Boy am I glad I had it as I had it on within the first five minutes. It was chilly out there. At this point I thought to myself that I would lower my expectations and just make it about halfway to my original destination (which made for about 65 minute ride). The winds were really strong so I wasn’t making much progress.
I got closer to that point but decided I shouldn’t be so slack and should push on and reach my usual turning point. I was moving rather slowly despite my efforts. I was tiring a lot and my new thing of pedaling while standing up were making it worse. Eventually I started to avoid the standing and just lowered gears to make it the ascents easier.
Thankfully my music was helping to drive my efforts. But I was well behind my usual time based on how far into the playlist I was. I did make it to that turning point and stopped for a couple minutes to recover and to rehydrate. Turning back, I found it even worse and I ended up zipping up my jacket this point. The sun was lower and I was getting chilled despite extra layers.
I ended up dropping to the lowest gears and just focusing on moving continuously rather than at any speed. That was pretty much all I could do and the trip back seemed to go on forever. In the midst of all this, my anxiety would return occasionally and I guess it was distract with the agony of the ride or the agony of the anxiety. I figure I must have passed it back and forth mentally most of the way home.
I did get home okay but I definitely didn’t feel any better. But I did pat myself on the back for making it through. Here’s hoping the next ride or exercise will be a bit easier to handle. :)
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Augie March: Strange Bird
If you live outside Australia, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this indie band, formed in 1996 in Shepparton, Victoria here in Australia. For those here in Australia, you still may not know them but you might remember their one big hit, “One Crowded Hour”, which was released in 2006 and is notable for being the number one song on the Triple J Hottest 100 list. This is a publicly voted music poll that is done once a year on the nation’s youth radio station.
That song was the first I ever heard of Augie March and it actually was on that radio station, which is kind of interesting since I don’t listen to it all that often. That was a song I really liked and subsequently I bought the album, Moo, You Bloody Cow, which I also liked a lot. But delving into the band a bit more I discovered they had earlier albums that were unfamiliar to me.
Sunset Studies was their debut album and is pretty amazing, but it’s their second album, Strange Bird, that really resonates with me. It’s full of lush, complex music and beautifully dark lyrics which touch on a continuing theme of death. Apparently the keyboardist for the band had died in a car crash at the beginning of work on this album and it seems death was on the mind of songwriter Glenn Richards during the writing of the songs. I would direct anyone interested to https://augiemarch.com/strange-bird-lyrics as it’s some wonderful poetry just on its own.
There are so many beautiful songs on this album but I am going to start with “This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers”, which is the most rocking song in the collection. This is one of the first songs I ever heard the band play live and it filled the gardens where the band were playing with the drawn out “Traiiiiiin! that starts the song. The song calls out the government on its corruption along with a few references to some Australian personalities and events.
” Little Wonder” is a beautiful song but, like many of the songs on this album, the lyrics are not quite so beautiful. It speaks of drunkenness and dark alleys and violence. But it sounds lovely.
“There’s Something at the Bottom of the Black Pool” for me conjures the feeling of a bubbling, dark pool where all the ugliness is hidden. The music, is again lush and beautiful but at times there are a few unpleasant sounds that remind us it’s not all so beautiful.In “Addle Brains” Glenn Richards waxes lyrical about the homeless and the inaction of government to help these people, one of many themes still relevant today.
“The Drowning Dream” is my favorite on this album. Musically it’s so very soothing and does make me feel like I’m in a dream. And I’m a bit of a sucker for dreamy songs so I really, really like it. Of course, there’s the juxtaposition of those dark lyrics.
“Sunstroke House” is the minimalist song on the album, musically speaking. The mixture of the simple strumming and the vocals is a perfect match.
Along with the theme of death, we see birds appear frequently on this album. Two songs include the titled strange bird and there is mention of ravens, crows and even chickens.
It’s a pretty amazing album and it’s one I listen to often. Strangely in times when I feel despair, it gives me comfort. Maybe it’s the beautiful music and maybe it’s more than that. But it has been one of those pieces of work to keep moving me along when it feels hard to do more than stand still.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this band three times. The first time they were the second support act for Crowded House and there were about half a dozen songs played. The second time was a few years later in a theater as the headliner and that was a strange experience because the crowd seemed a bit dead even though they were putting on a good show. The best was last December when we saw them in a club in Fremantle. It was a nice and relaxed show and we could sit back and let the music wash over us. There was a good vibe between the band and crowd and to top it off they did an amazing version of “One Crowded Hour”.
Anyway, I really love this album in case it’s not obvious. I highly recommend it since it’s unlikely that many reading this will be aware of its existence.
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The Eagles: Hotel California
I spent a long time deciding on whether to include Hotel California on this list. I don’t actually own a physical copy of the album and my only album by the group is a compilation I bought a few years ago and it’s not even the best-selling one from the 1970s. Still this group and album are very much part of my musical life so I am going to put this here. One of these days I will definitely get a proper copy but meanwhile I listen on streaming services.
When I think of the Eagles, I think of my growing up years spent near Atlanta. We lived there for about a decade from the time I was a toddler until we moved away at the end of 1976. The songs by this group were well-played throughout the early 1970s and I remember hearing their country-rock melodies regularly. There was a period of time in the mid-’70s when my parents were part of a bowling league as were the parents of our closest friends. While the parents bowled we kids would roam around the premises doing whatever we did. Music was always playing and I remember hearing a lot of Eagles songs there.
To go off on a bit of a tangent, one of the songs I remember hearing at the bowling alley wasn’t anything related to the Eagles but the song “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players. The reason I recall this is the urban legend associated with the song about a scream in the song being that of someone being murdered. It’s kind of interesting to think of how quickly that rumor spread, well before the internet came along. If not for the urban legend, I imagine this song wouldn’t be more than a blip in my memory. But it was in there along with lots of other popular music from that time.
Around that time the Eagles put out their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975) compilation and it got a lot of play. It’s one of the few greatest hits albums that’s so iconic in my memory. I’d grown up hearing most of these songs but they all became big again and my musical memory is of re-engaging with these songs. Not in in any conscious way but I think it primed me for what was coming.
I was eleven years old when we moved from the Atlanta area to Charlotte, NC on December 10, 1976. Three days before that the song “New Kid in Town” was released. Back then I wasn’t playing very close attention the lyrics but the title of it definitely hooked me seeing that I was a new kid. It wasn’t until I was much older I came to understand the song for what it really was. This song still has a bit of the country-rock feel but it’s definitely moving away from the country part of it. It’s another one of those sentimental favorites that takes me back to a place and time.
By the time “Hotel California” was released early the next year, we were a bit more established in North Carolina. This song was something totally different and the imagery evoked was amazing. Even now when I hear the tune begin, I feel taken to another place. It’s an alien place which is kind of surreal, much like it must have seemed to be, going into that scene of Hollywood at the time and even now. It’s a mixture of Twilight Zone and horror movie, made especially clear by the final lyrics:
“Relax”, said the night man
“We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave”“Life in the Fast Lane” is sort of a continuation on the theme of Hotel California and Hollywood excess but taking on a harder, rockier edge for me. When I think of this song, I think of the opening guitar riff and it really does embrace that feeling of living to excess and on the edge.
The final song on this album is “Last Resort” and it’s one of my favorite songs by the Eagles. It’s still related to the theme of excess but it targets the way humans seem happy to pillage and plunder the earth and warns of running out of spaces to destroy. It’s very much a song of activism and is just as relevant today as it was then.
Again I find myself in the year 1977 when there was so much amazing music coming out. I find it really fascinating that Rumours by Fleetwood Mac was released during this time and yet it doesn’t figure into my memory of that year much. But “Hotel California” is firmly down in my mind as one of many essential parts of that musical year.