it’s weird how things happen

Ain’t it?

One day you’re saying King Biscuit Time just doesn’t do it for you, the next, you’re at home after work reading the latest Michael Lewis book (which happens to be fantastic… not Moneyball-fantastic, mind you, but fantastic nonetheless… the guy is truly a gift to the American sports fan/reader of this era), listening to your smart playlist of every song you’ve ever rated a 4 or a 5 and BAM!, this song comes on. And then, suddenly, the fact that Clay Buccholz is in the process of giving up the one-run lead that J.D. Drew’s solo shot had to this point provided doesn’t matter too much. (Which is not to say that is doesn’t matter at all, because it obviously does.)

You hear this song and, suddenly, you have a plan to relax those back muscles which have been tensing up daily for the last couple of weeks: you’ll listen to this song on repeat for as long as it freaking takes.

“Rising Son” by King Biscuit Time (from Black Gold)

It’s also weird how, in just one day, your music listening can vary between that King Biscuit Time song in the evening and an old, fierce, Buddy Guy song on your way to work.

Now, the aforementioned smart playlist was also responsible for sending this one my way this morning, and two things jumped out at me when that happened:

1) Most blues vocalists play up the smooth angle. Despite the platitudes you may read about the genre– those that mention pain, anguish, sorrow, etc.– most practitioners of the form have a vocal style that is much better described as just smooth. This is true from Lonnie Johnson* to Susan Tedeschi (and no, I have no qualms mentioning those two in the same sentence). But Buddy, in this song, is pissed. Man, he’s holding something back. I dunno what it is, but he ain’t happy about it.

2) Beautiful girls crossing crosswalks look even beautifuler crossing crosswalks set to music like you hear in the first 10 seconds of this song. She was in slow motion, this one, I’m telling you. (Timing really is everything when you walk to work with your iPod on.)

“First Time I Met the Blues“ by Buddy Guy (from Buddy’s Blues: The Chess Records 50th Anniversary Collection)
* I also just found myself a copy of Lonnie’s Complete Folkways Recordings. Another blues CD that totally altered my musical taste in college. If you like the blues even a little, and you enjoy albums that have the same stripped-down, intimate quality of Johnny Cash’s American Records albums, do yourself a favor and buy it now. This is the guy who inspired B.B. King to pick up a guitar. Need I say more?