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16w
Tunes
Pau Casals - El Cant dels Ocells
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Born in 1917 the legendary Catalonian cellist and composer, Pau (aka Pablo) Casals went into exile in 1939 as an act of resistance against Franco after the Nationalist won the Spanish Civil War. After years of a performance boycott he began playing again and would always open or close his performances with this Catalan folk song. It's the Song of the Birds -- you can feel every bit of Casals' longing for the Spain he loved. See video below for a performance of this amazing piece by Casals.
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20w
Tunes
Please Let Me Go Round Again
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Swamp Dogg is the alter ego of the talented and charmingly eccentric Jerry Williams, born 1942 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Here 78 year old Swamp Dogg and 73 year old John Prine ask if they can "go around again" with a wonderful melding of Dogg's swampy sounds and Prine's americana country. Jerry said he created Swamp Dogg as "someone to occupy the body while the search party was out looking for Jerry Williams, who was mentally missing in action due to certain pressures, mal-treatments and failure to get paid royalties on over fifty single records" (!). At one point apparently his wife Yvonne once pulled a gun on a record exec who owed him money! He's written and recorded hundreds of songs and it's seems like he's had an especially fun time late in his career after turning 70 when he started semi satirically using autotune and and collaborating with people like Justin Vernon and John Prine. Give him a listen. Creeping Away is another wonderful track.
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22w
Tunes
Má vlast - No. 2, Vltava (My Country: Moldau)
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This magical symphonic poem by Bedřich Smetana is a must listen. Smetana, like Beethoven was completely deaf by the end of his career -- these pieces were written as it hearing quickly faded. Ma Vlast translates to My Fatherland and Vltava the major river of Czechoslovakia. But listening to this piece, the second movement Vltava especially, it also feels like its about a life in a place more than just a place. I've always imagined it as spanning his life... you can hear the wonder of early childhood move into the careless fun of adolescence and so on. It's really really great. Also... a song so good that the Nazi's banned it when it emerged as an anthem for Czechoslovakian independence -- got the people going.
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25w
Tunes
Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - "Sylvia's Mother"
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I love this song. Written by Shel Silverstein (and performed here in his boat house) with classic Silverstein story telling brought to life by the Dr Hook crew's lovely emotive crooning.
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26w
Tunes
Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan
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Early aughts gold, when you could find Bob sharing themed playlist on the early satellite radio waves. Flowers is a favorite of mine. You can find them on YouTube and a few other spots.
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Tunes
String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131
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Beethoven's Late Spring Quartet, No. 14 is my favorite composition by the legendary Ludwig. If you like it as much as me you've got the extra treat in store...there's a film about the piece and a fictional quartet featuring Christopher Walken, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Mark Ivanir. That's a twofer. Extra extra bonus content -- YouTube video of a the piece performed by The Danish String Quartet, so impressive.
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33w
Tunes
Johnny Cash Sings Ballads Of The American Indian
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A wonderful lesser known JC Album -- Johnny doing his best to wrestle with the feelings he had visiting reservations by recording an album of ballads about Native Americans. Come for the Peter La Farge covers and stay for Johnny's original songs with lyrics like "I see an eagle ... floating in space"
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