MUSIC

MUSIC

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Music is food for the Soul. It is the subtle flight of thoughts through mindscapes. It's a step above poetry. Lines of poetry flow into "lyrics." Sounds travel to the brain through our auditory channels and blend with lyrics to form songs. Of course, music can be purely instrumental, in which case no words or lyrics are involved. All forms of music affect our moods. Music therapy is one of the treatment methods  in Psychiatry. It is able to give relief to some categories of people who are mentally ill.

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No need to go elsewhere if you want to view 'SPECTACULAR FINDS.' This is the 'SPECTACULAR FINDS' page!

SOME OF MY FAVORITES (all jumbled up)! (My favorites Page)

SPECTACULAR FINDS

Whenever I encounter something spectacular in Music that I didn't know existed before, I jot my discovery down on this page to share it with you! Here are my spectacular finds: 

(The quick link (buttons) below will take you straight to specific bookmarks on this page. Of course, you can choose to scroll down at leisure, but if you wish to jump directly to a place of interest, please do so by clicking on the button of your choice. NOTE: After visiting the link of choice, you can return here by simply clicking on your browser's 'Back' button.)

12 RIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH...
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What is the true meaning of Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind?"

Is it a protest song? An anti-war song? Soothing relief when you're disturbed? A sobering song to lean on and weep when, despite your best intentions the world defeated you, or a civil-rights anthem?

According to Dylan, it's a bit of all of these. It was inspired by a spiritual song "No More Auction Block For Me." It's a protest song, an attack on social criminals who 'turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it is wrong,' a civil-rights anthem, an anti-war song, and 'something to be said, for somebody, by somebody!'

"Blowin' in the Wind?" has a colorful history. Along with Dylan, Gil Turner, Pete Seeger, and Peter, Paul, and Mary are just a few names responsible for making it the very popular classic it is today.

WHAT "BLOWIN' IN THE WIND" TRULY MEANS

WHAT BOB DYLAN HIMSELF SAYS IS THE MEANING OF "BLOWIN' IN THE WIND" "Blowin' in the Wind" is one of the most influential protest songs of all time — but what does the man who wrote it think it's all about? In April 1962, Bob Dylan came running into Gerde's Folk City, a Greenwich Village music venue, and found his friend, Gil Turner, who was about to go on stage with the New World Singers. According to Clinton Heylin's book Revolution in the Air, Dylan told Turner: "Gil, I got a new song that I just finished. Wanna hear it?" That song was "Blowin' in the Wind." At the time, it marked a significant departure from Dylan's previous songwriting output. His debut album only had two original songs, and neither had the depth of this new tune. Turner was blown away by "Blowin' in the Wind," though. He sang the song that night in what would be its first performance before a live audience. The crowd had the same reaction as Turner when he first heard it, too: They were awed. That summer, in an interview with the folk music magazine Sing Out!, Dylan tried to explain the meaning of the song's lyrics. He told the publication: "There ain't too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group." Dylan had written "Blowin' in the Wind" in two short stints in April 1962. He later claimed he composed the original two-verse version in about 10 minutes, with the middle verse coming a few weeks later. Dylan later told journalist Mark Rowland that the song was based on a traditional spiritual called "No More Auction Block For Me." When Dylan debuted the original two-verse version at Gerde's Folk City that month, he started out by trying to explain what the song wasn't about. Per Revolution in the Air, he said: "This here ain't a protest song or anything like that, 'cause I don't write protest songs. I'm just writing it as something to be said, for somebody, by somebody." Yet, in his Sing Out! interview, Dylan seemed to espouse moral — if not explicitly political — views. He said: "Some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 and I know there's been too many wars." Even before Dylan recorded "Blowin' in the Wind," Gil Turner and folk legend Pete Seeger published the song's lyrics in their magazine Broadside, and it soon took on a life of its own. The folk singer Dave Van Ronk, who initially dismissed the song, heard street singers around Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village parroting "Blowin' in the Wind." In the biography Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, he recalled: "If the song is strong enough, without even having been recorded, to start generating parodies, the song is stronger than I realized." With "Blowin' in the Wind," Dylan supercharged his career and catapulted himself into becoming the voice of his generation. But it wasn't his version that made it happen. Peter, Paul, and Mary, a popular folk trio, recorded the song in the summer of 1963, with their version shooting to the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100. Whether Dylan intended it or not, "Blowin' in the Wind" quickly became a protest song. Bob Cohen of the New World Singers told Sean Curnyn of The Cinch Review: "We would go on to sing it in Mississippi in 1963-64, where it became a civil-rights anthem." Cohen felt the song reflected a yearning for justice and for peace. The highwater mark of "Blowin' in the Wind" as a protest song came in August 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom — the same iconic event at which the Rev. Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Peter, Paul, and Mary performed the song on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after being introduced to a crowd of more than 250,000 people by the actor and activist Ossie Davis. Before bringing the band on, Davis told the crowd: "And now, a group of singers who have come to help express in song what this great meeting is all about." "I give you now, Peter, Paul, and Mary." The activists who marched to Washington that day clearly gave "Blowin' in the Wind" its own meaning — but Dylan was always steadfast about his thoughts on the song. Just a year before the event, he had told a reporter: "I'm not politically inclined. 'Blowin' in the Wind' was just a feeling I felt because I felt that way."      THE END

11 CELTIC THUNDER
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Celtic Thunder became a favorite when I discovered I closely follow their music tastes. They are more of entertainers, than just musicians. However, that doesn't mean their music isn't beautiful/outstanding; it IS!

This Irish band primarily sings covers of the most well-known and loved songs on themes such as partriotism (My Land, Ireland's Call), Irish culture and hertiage (Caledonia, Whiskey in the Jar), evergreen songs (Sounds of Silence), ballads (Black Velvet Band, The Streets of London), anniversary and sad songs (Green Fields of France), and more. They are pleasant and friendly. No unshaven faces, outlandish dresses, unkempt, long hair, etc. Their voices dove-tail and harmonize very well. Their selections are eclectic and of fine taste. Here are some of my top choices:

GALWAY GIRL

BLACK VELVET BAND

GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE

WALTZING MATILDA

10 CHRISTMAS CAROLS
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Carnatic Music is a form of music that originated in South India. In Carnatic music, one or a group of musicians sing and/or play Indian musical instruments like the Sitar, Mridangam, Nadhaswaram, and Tabla. Likewise the music in North India is called 'Hindustani Music.' Recently electronic musical instruments were added, resulting in mellifluous renditions like the Carols below.

JOY TO THE WORLD (Tamil)

O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL (Tamil)

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS (Instrumental)

MARY'S BOY CHILD (Tamil)

O, HOLY NIGHT (Hindi)

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

9 HOME FREE
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'Home Free' is an American group comprised by Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist, Adam Rupp, Tim Foust, and Adam Chance. All five have undergone formal training in music. Lundquist and the Rupp have bachelor's degrees in music. They're so prolific their music uploads on YouTube appear at unbelievably frequent intervals--five on an average per month I'd say. Here are two of their covers I like most.

MY COUNTRY TIS OF THEE

AULD LANG SYNE

If you liked Home Free and would like to know more about them, apart from YouTube and Wikipedia, you may also visit the Home Free website for more info.

8 THE VIOLIN SISTERS
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'The Violin Sisters' (Dr. M. Lalitha and M. Nandini) are based in the city of Chennai (Tamil Nadu State), India. They represent the fourth-generation in a family of noted south Indian musicians. I'm featuring (below) two of their Western classics that I liked most—'Canon in D' (Pachelbel) and 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' (Bach).

7 TARYN HARBRIDGE and TAYLOR DAVIS
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Here's a peice by Taryn that I'd like you to sample. It's titled The Wonder of God.

THE WONDER OF GOD

Another peice you might like to sample is The Water is Wide.

THE WATER IS WIDE

Now, moving on to Taylor Davis there are two of my favourites that I'd like to share: My Heart Will go on (Titanic), and Hallelujah

MY HEART WILL GO ON (Titanic)

HALLELUJAH

6 JESSICA RHAYE and the RAMSHACKLE PARADE
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Jessica sings with her group named the 'Ramschakle Parade.' She specializes in singing Bob Dylan covers. So without any more ado, let's hear them sing this Dylan classic.

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

For more videos and info visit her website. Notable mentions of other song covers by her include I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (Dylan), It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Dylan), Four Strong Winds (Ian Tyson), and Time Will Only Heal Your Broken Heart.

5 JULIE GAULKE
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I stumbled upon this artist while searching the Internet for new Christmas/"Virtual Choir" music in December, 2020. Julie sings secular music as well as christian songs. Some of her secular music covers are songs by top artists like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and John Denver.

Julie is a naturally gifted musician. Listen to her cover of Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer (below), where she teams up with another artist Mirko Conti, and form your own opinion!

THE BOXER

4 CLIFFS OF DOONEEN
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CLIFFS OF DOONEEN

3 TOM ROUSH
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I found Tom while researching John Prine on YouTube. When I came across "My Old Kentucky Home" (Prine's version of this Stephen C Foster song), being a Foster fan too, my attention was drawn to Foster. So I left Prine temporarily aside and explored Stephen's original and cover (versions) of this song by other artists. That's when I stumbled upon Tom Roush! 

What a find! I heard the Stephen Foster original and then Tom Roush's version and was truly swept off my feet in a few minutes by Tom's rendition. Like John Denver, his singing is from the heart. He sings the old-time ballads and American civil war songs (of the 1850s) in a rich, unique style of his own. I believe Tom plays ALL the instruments by himself as well as the harmony and vocals. From the backgrounds in his YouTube videos, it appears that he sings in lonely, rural places like farms and ranches. He sings like lonely, lost soul, one who is patiently awaiting for something great to happen.

Here are some of my picks of his music:

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME, GOODNIGHT

TOM DOOLEY

OLD FOLKS AT HOME

MY GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK

THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS

STEWBALL

RUMMY

THE STREETS OF LAREDO

2 HILARIOUS (AND RATHER RARE) SONGS OF JOHNNY CASH
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Johnny Cash needs no introduction, but here are some of his rather rare, hilarious songs for your sheer entertainment (and amazement!) The first one, "The One on the Right is on the Left" is a  mind-teaser too.

"THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS ON THE LEFT" There once was a musical troupe A pickin' singin' folk group They sang the mountain ballads And the folk songs of our land They were long on musical ability Folks thought they would go far But political incompatibility led to their downfall Well, the one on the right was on the left And the one in the middle was on the right And the one on the left was in the middle And the guy in the rear was a Methodist This musical aggregation toured the entire nation Singing the traditional ballads And the folk songs of our land They performed with great virtuosity And soon they were the rage But political animosity prevailed upon the stage Well, the one on the right was on the left And the one in the middle was on the right And the one on the left was in the middle And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license Well the curtain had ascended A hush fell on the crowd As thousands there were gathered to hear the folk songs of our land But they took their politics seriously And that night at the concert hall As the audience watched deliriously They had a free-for-all Well, the one on the right was on the bottom And the one in the middle was on the top And the one on the left got a broken arm And the guy in the rear, said, "Oh dear" Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land Just work on harmony and diction Play your banjo well And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself Now, the one on the left works in a bank And the one in the middle drives a truck The one on the right's an all-night deejay And the guy in the rear got drafted      THE END

CHICKEN IN BLACK

1 THE TYPEWRITER SONG
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Ever heard the "Typewriter Song?" Well, here it is.

 

TYPEWRITER SONG