What Are You Listening to Now 7.0

[Alitaptap]

Yeah, goosebumps at the very least, for me, too. Three more shallow dives down holes I've previously been deep down:

As wonderful as Colin Hay is, he isn't the first person I would think of as an artist "like" Nick Drake ... there are so many genius songwriter / performers who come out of nowhere and make music their own unique thing, some of whom make it and some of whom, like Nick, don't. I can't but be grateful that some left one or more wonderful things behind to remember them.

Jackson Browne, Kate Bush, Alex Chilton (sort of), Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Tweedy, and so many others made it. Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Nick Drake, Lowell George, Gram Parsons, and too many others didn't. If I had to pick one person, though, it would be Elliott Smith.

Like Nick Drake, Elliott has his filmmaker admirers, including Gus Van Sant, who used several Elliott Smith songs in Good Will Hunting, including Angeles, Miss Misery, Between the Bars, and more.

Between The Bars is my personal favorite of Elliott's songs (I even excerpted a few lyrics from it into one of my stories here), but that may be as much because so many good covers of it (including one I just now found by Choir! Choir! Choir!, who also covered at least one more of his songs) have been recorded, of which my favorite is from Emily Haines and James Shaw of Metric, a band I like a lot:

Here's Metric doing one of their own songs in a vid I find utterly charming (as well as it being a great song):

Emily and James also do an acoustic version. And yes, they've also gotten some good attention from indie film; it doesn't hurt that Emily's part in that song was covered by an actress (Brie Larson) who later won an Oscar.

My favorite Elliott Smith performance, though, is a cover of an Alex Chilton song (skip over the pushy crowd yelling requests to about 1:05, when someone requests "Wonderwall" to many laughs, including from Elliot, then hardly anyone seems to recognize the song he starts playing, but everyone quickly goes dead quiet):

What that song says to Elliott's too-short life breaks my heart.

One more before I start to work on pulling myself up out of this damn rabbit hole I've been lost in for the past several days, riffing on the subject of a band holding an audience absolutely spellbound into silence, and not accepting anything but silence, for what seems like far too long, except it's really just magical. Wilco's Reservations:

I've been down the Wilco rabbit hole far too often in recent months.

Listened to Elliot Smith years ago, but his songs took me down so deep I became afraid that I wouldn’t be able to crawl back out - haha! I’m such a coward - had to stop. Although, yes, his songs are so raw, honest and beautiful, they’re utterly captivating. Didn’t realize he did the soundtrack of Good Will Hunting - Between the Bars and that scene. Yes.

Read your story, five stars! All the minute details in the descriptions and the way you did the stream of consciousness immersed me in the inner and outer world you created. It felt natural and unedited (in a good way) - as though you didn’t hold back. Will come back to read more.

And Metric, never heard their music before. Lovely. Will check them out for sure. Hopefully, won’t fall into another rabbit hole - haha! I feel you! Hope you were able to pull yourself out of the last one and here’s to hoping I do too and get all my deadlines done for the week.

 

[OccurrenceOnMimas]

One of maybe half a dozen punk bands I actually like.

https://toxicnarcotic.bandcamp.com/album/21st-century-discography

 

[MetaBob]

Listened to Elliot Smith years ago, but his songs took me down so deep I became afraid that I wouldn’t be able to crawl back out - haha! I’m such a coward - had to stop. Although, yes, his songs are so raw, honest and beautiful, they’re utterly captivating. Didn’t realize he did the soundtrack of Good Will Hunting - Between the Bars and that scene. Yes.

I love it when music creeps so far inside that I react with such emotion. It's a little scary, but it's so so good.

Read your story, five stars! All the minute details in the descriptions and the way you did the stream of consciousness immersed me in the inner and outer world you created. It felt natural and unedited (in a good way) - as though you didn’t hold back. Will come back to read more.

Thank you! Sincerely! You make me realize that I'd somehow improbably accomplished what I set out to do ... I agonize over every word I write, reviewing and revising until I should be thoroughly sick of it and I don't want to change a single word. Sounds crazy, right? Doing that much editing and re-editing feels necessary, but to read your thought that it feels "unedited (in a good way)" makes me feel validated in a way that I hadn't expected -- it's exactly what I hoped for. Thank you!!

And Metric, never heard their music before. Lovely.

Another of their songs:

Will check them out for sure. Hopefully, won’t fall into another rabbit hole - haha! I feel you! Hope you were able to pull yourself out of the last one and here’s to hoping I do too and get all my deadlines done for the week.

I haven't fallen down any new rabbit holes lately, thank goodness, only replayed a playlist I made while writing the piece you read a portion of, in which I use lyrics to reflect the actions and thoughts of my characters as their story unfolds, or sometimes to foreshadow them. I credit the songs and songwriters at the end of each chapter. Today I've been listening to that playlist, but its meat started in the previous book of the series (Real Amazons, Real Magic). Here I credit the bands who played the songs rather than the composers (you can see the composer credits in the stories):

Book 2 (Cascade Fire)
Saved by Zero - The Fixx
I Want Your (Hands on Me) - Sinéad O'Connor
Out of My Head - Sun 60
Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie
Less Cities, More Moving People - The Fixx
I Don't Know Why - Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert
Return of the Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons

Book 3 (Crossings)
Babyfather - Sade
A Case of You (Live) - Diana Krall
Love Has No Pride - Jane Monheit
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
The Order of Death - Public Image, Ltd.
Lovers Rock - Sade
Nightswimming - R.E.M.
Between The Bars - Metric
Slow Life - Of Monsters and Men
Get Me On - Poi Dog Pondering
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Sing Me To Sleep (feat. Neko Case) - Fran Healy
Skin Graph - Silversun Pickups

There are many more in Book 1 (Were-Tigress), and I still like many of them very much, but this is the part of my playlist that I keep playing entire.

Old, but I love Roberta Flack...

Lovely. Truly.

For the past few days I've been binge-listening to everything I have by New Order.
Before that, the last specific song I played was L L Cool J, Rock the Bells, 12" single version.

Including the extended-play version of Shell-shock? Still love that. I actually have this vinyl (one of my less-stupid life decisions):

 

[Alitaptap]

Thank you! Sincerely! You make me realize that I'd somehow improbably accomplished what I set out to do ... I agonize over every word I write, reviewing and revising until I should be thoroughly sick of it and I don't want to change a single word. Sounds crazy, right? Doing that much editing and re-editing feels necessary, but to read your thought that it feels "unedited (in a good way)" makes me feel validated in a way that I hadn't expected -- it's exactly what I hoped for. Thank you!!

You’re welcome! Happy to mirror your work right back at you!

And that Metric song - fun!

Here I credit the bands who played the songs rather than the composers (you can see the composer credits in the stories):

Book 2 (Cascade Fire)
Saved by Zero - The Fixx
I Want Your (Hands on Me) - Sinéad O'Connor
Out of My Head - Sun 60
Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie
Less Cities, More Moving People - The Fixx
I Don't Know Why - Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert
Return of the Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons

Book 3 (Crossings)
Babyfather - Sade
A Case of You (Live) - Diana Krall
Love Has No Pride - Jane Monheit
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
The Order of Death - Public Image, Ltd.
Lovers Rock - Sade
Nightswimming - R.E.M.
Between The Bars - Metric
Slow Life - Of Monsters and Men
Get Me On - Poi Dog Pondering
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Sing Me To Sleep (feat. Neko Case) - Fran Healy
Skin Graph - Silversun Pickups

There are many more in Book 1 (Were-Tigress), and I still like many of them very much, but this is the part of my playlist that I keep playing entire.

Man, this is good stuff. A few names I haven’t heard before. Will definitely check them out and have a listen. Thank you!

 

[Lady2020]

What A Feeling. Irene Cara.

 

[jaykaythree]

I'm approaching the end of a story in drafts, and this song is twofold as concerns my male lead.

1) He's not much older than the female lead at the time the story's set, but she is nineteen, and lives a different life than he does. It's not the HEA type of story, but just a good time between them, after the fashion suggested by this song.

2) Male lead eventually marries a woman born the weekend this song was released.

 

[Photog1rl]

Dance party in the kitchen tonight with my oldest daughter. Somehow my husband has never heard this song…who the heck am I married to?

 

[Dcharger]

Dance party in the kitchen tonight with my oldest daughter. Somehow my husband has never heard this song…who the heck am I married to?

I'm listening to my heart beat go pitter patter super fast all from Photog1rl's picture. WOWzers. I sure like her style. Nicely done.

 

[Photog1rl]

Just started a new recipe thread( https://forum.literotica.com/thread...-what-to-eat-and-drink.1581423/#post-96329653), so I have food-related songs bouncing in my head. This is the one currently playing.

 

[Handley_Page]

Montserrat Caballé; Casta Diva; Norma; Bellini;​

 

[ElectricBlue]

Love - Forever Changes

1967 Los Angeles hipster music, before beards.

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Mamas/Papas/Mama Cass Elliot, Dream A Little Dream Of Me

 

[MillieDynamite]

Stevie Wonder Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Deodato Also Sprach Zarathustra...

 

[oggbashan]

Joyce Didonato: Lascia ch;io pianga

 

[oggbashan]

Haydn: Son confuso e stupefatto

 

[Alitaptap]

Little Fluffy Clouds / The Orb

 

[Handley_Page]

 

[Haulover]

Riverside : D.Entity

 

[Alitaptap]

Dindi (Gingi) / Joe Beck Trio

 

[Handley_Page]

ove it

 

[ElectricBlue]

Tal Wilkenfeld - Transformation

Astonishing bass player

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

Queen, Another One Bites The Dust, totally the best wedding song every!

 

[Haulover]

Queen, Another One Bites The Dust, totally the best wedding song every!

Yep - they played it at my wedding.

(42 years later, I'm still "biting the dust" )

 

[Alitaptap]

Performed by a young pianist, still virtually unknown, but the sensitivity of how he played this piece is just...

Camden Stewart - Interstellar - Hans Zimmer