Something for the weekend
When I’m out walking with my mp3 player on, I often put it on shuffle and let it choose the vibe for me. Usually after three or four songs it’ll have found an album that I want to listen to and I’ll take it off shuffle. A few days ago it randomly hit upon What a Day That Was from the early David Byrne solo album, The Catherine Wheel. It’s not an album I listen to as much as some of his other work, but it’s been a joy to revisit. A mixture of songs and instrumentals, including several collaborations with Brian Eno, it was recorded as a soundtrack album for a dance company.
Now dance, as a spectacle, has never been something I’ve been interested in. I enjoy dancing, but not watching it happen. Whether it’s ballet or more contemporary stuff, it’s just not — as they say — the bag I’m into. Nonetheless, a few years back I tracked down an old VHS copy of a performance of The Catherine Wheel, partly out of curiosity and partly out of that weird completist compulsion that I still have for David Byrne’s work. Sadly, it failed to convert me and I never watched more than half of it.
Nonetheless, as an album, The Catherine Wheel is still a great listen. And that well-known Talking Heads concert film has a wonderful version of the song that drew me back to it. Enjoy…
From the concert film, Stop Making Sense
Note: it was only after I published this that I realised I’m a full day early for “the weekend”. It’s just midnight and I’ve spent the entirety of Thursday convinced it was Friday. Isn’t it weird when that happens?
Yep, even though i’ve had it for years, WADTW is the only song i really know off The Catherine Wheel, almost certainly because of how many times i’ve watched Stop Making Sense. What a film..
August 9th, 2010 | 10:42am
by hoop
I’m a compulsive shuffler meself, and I’ve just had a bit of a shuffle in that I have a new car, and it plays mp3s on it’s stereo. So out with the ipod and in with some old disks that haven’t been played for years. I haven’t needed to shuffle the order of the songs on the disks themselves, as I haven’t a clue what’s on them.
Wow! I’ve downloaded some shite in my time! But there’s been stuff that’s grabbed my attention too, from eminem to status quo to the theme tune to bagpuss to some weird trancey stuff that announces “For the first time in Atomic history, America gets a ring side seat”
Ain’t got a clue what half of this stuff is, because the display on the car stereo is static, and generally limited to half a song title or band name, or nothing at all, but although some of it has quickly been skipped, it’s been good to get out of the old ways.
Thanks for popping in to HH by the way. I know exactly what you mean. As soon as anything happens 2 or 3 of the usual suspects are jumping on it claiming bullying and intimidation from some intellectual mafia. Whatever they say, it ain’t so.
Nil Carborundum, mate 🙂
August 11th, 2010 | 12:45am
by Paul
@ Paul- the song “For the first time in atomic history, America gets a ring side seat” is done by Re-Count track name “OASI?”
December 7th, 2010 | 4:42am
by Soundman202