Alphabet Soup Week 08: The D Tracks
With a nod towards jazz, this week's installment also features tracks from two of my Desert Island Discs. Which albums, you ask? Read on to find out!!
Welcome to week 8 of Alphabet Soup!
It’s hard to believe that we’re eight weeks into the year and I have yet to choose a track from one of my Desert Island Discs yet. That changes this week.
For years I’d heard the term Desert Island Disc, and I’d always just assumed it was a list of albums you’d want to take with you if you were stranded on a desert island (I know, I’m a genius). I often wondered whether there were rules - how many can you take? are greatest hits allowed? double albums? A few months ago, I googled “desert island disc rules” and the first result that popped up was the Wikipedia entry for the BBC Radio show “Desert Island Discs” that’s been airing weekly on a continuous basis since 1942. (A radio show? That’s aired over 4,000 episodes? Who knew? Perhaps many of you, but I digress). It turns out that each “castaway” is allowed to select eight pieces of music; question answered.
Armed with that knowledge, I began giving thought to which eight albums should make my list. Although it’s only a thought experiment, it’s one I’ve been taking quite seriously (go figure!), and I’ve been finding it challenging to compile my final list (don’t rush me, I need at least a year or two, sheesh!). As of this writing, I’ve managed to select four definite albums along with two candidate albums. This week’s Alphabet Soup installment includes tracks from two of my definite DIDs and one from the DID candidate list.
It’s recently become apparent that eight “pieces of music” represents eight TRACKS, not eight albums - absolute crazy talk! Impossible!! Well, perhaps not, but in any event, I’m sticking with my eight album definition for now. Once I’ve managed to construct that list, I’ll turn my mind to eight individual tracks, which could well end up being quite different than the eight albums list (a long classical piece might make the list of tracks for example).
If you’re interested in reading further, the BBC website has a brief history of Desert Island Discs as well as some advice on how to choose your list. Also, if you’re so inclined, you can listen to each episode in podcast form directly from the BBC archive, which contains thousands of episodes. If you start tomorrow and can spare three hours of listening time daily, you should be wrapped up by tea time four years hence!
That’s enough rambling on Desert Island Discs, let’s get into this week’s playlist!
ALPHABET SOUP WEEK 08: The D Tracks
TRACK: “Day By Day” from Verve Jazz Masters 9 (1994)
ARTIST: Astrud Gilberto
Between 1994 and 1997, due to the influence of a handful of musically astute friends, I found my musical universe expanding to incorporate different genres, one of which was jazz. As historied and expansive a genre as jazz is, I simply hadn’t been exposed to it and, as such, hadn’t developed an interest in it.
In a nod to musical and economic efficiency, I settled on investing in compilation or sampler CDs as a method to quickly and easily dive into an artist or one of jazz’s many subgenres. One of the gifts of the streaming age (some would also argue it’s the curse) is that we no longer need to spend, time, money or energy on this sort of musical discovery.
The timing of my jazz discovery journey couldn’t have been any better as it coincided with the release by Verve/Polygram of the Verve Jazz Masters series, released between 1994 and 1996, and comprising 60 releases covering 47 separate artists.
Our first track this week, Day by Day, originally from Astrud Gilberto’s 1965 Verve Records release The Shadow of Your Smile, was included on Verve Jazz Masters 9, one of the first of the Jazz Masters CDs I purchased.
TRACK: “Desafinado” from The Legendary João Gilberto (1990)
ARTIST: João Gilberto
After my introduction to samba and bossa nova through Astrud Gilberto, it wasn’t long until I added works by her husband João to my collection, which I did in the form of the 1990 compilation The Legendary João Gilberto. This single CD album brings together songs from his first three albums released between 1958 and 1961. Desafinado, composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça, originally appeared on Gilberto’s 1959 album Chega de Saudade.
According to data compiled by Bossa Nova Guitar, Desafinado is the 8th most recorded bossa nova song of all time with 424 recordings. Amazingly, though perhaps not surprising, Jobim was the writer/composer on 8 of the top 10 bossa nova songs, representing a staggering 4,200+ recordings.
TRACK: “Don't Explain” from Feeling Good; The Very Best Of Nina Simone (1994)
ARTIST: Nina Simone
Feeling Good; The Very Best Of Nina Simone, released by Verve/Polygram TV in 1994 (UK release), remains a sentimental favorite of mine as it was my first introduction to this incredible and prolific artist. I’d eventually go on to own 22 discs, primarily compilations (in fact, I only ever owned one official album release, that being 1962’s live album Nina Simone at the Village Gate). Seven of my discs were from the Four Women box set, a fabulous collection including each of the albums released by Simone on the Phillips label between 1964 and 1967. I highly recommend starting here if you’re new to her work.
Simone’s cover of Bille Holiday’s Don’t Explain is a beguiling and captivating rendition, one which draws me in fully, compelling me to feel the pain evinced in the lyrics. The already muted string arrangement of Holiday’s version is stripped back even further, distilled to the simplicity of Simone’s piano playing with occasional woodwind flourishes. The lyrics, as devastating as ever, somehow carry a greater depth and weight in what has become the definitive version of this song for me.
You know that I love you
And what love endures
All my thoughts are of you
For I'm so completely yours
Don't want to hear folks chatter
'Cause I know you cheat
Right and wrong don't matter
When you're with me, my sweet
As you make your way through this week’s playlist, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do any of these tracks really stand out for you? What do you like? What don’t you like?
Please click the button below to leave a comment.
TRACK: “Down To Zero” from I've Got My Own Hell To Raise (2005)
ARTIST: Bettye LaVette
I’d never heard of Bettye LaVette prior to 2005’s I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, her collection of cover songs written by female artists including Sinead O’Connor, Dolly Parton, Aimee Mann, and Fiona Apple. Down to Zero, in its original incarnation, was the third single from Joan Armatrading’s self-titled third album, released in 1976. I’ve never considered myself to be much of a fan of Armatrading, but the reality is that I probably haven’t listened to enough of her music to make a fair judgment (note: a session with the aforementioned 1976 release has now confirmed this - the album is excellent).
In his Exclaim.ca review of the LaVette album, Jason Schneider had this to say: “Bettye LaVette easily has one of the greatest R&B voices of the last 40 years, but at the time of her mid-60s arrival, she was dwarfed by peers like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, not to mention the slew of other great records being made in Memphis and Detroit. However, she persevered, finding modest success on small labels, and gaining support in the blues community.”
Indeed, her Wikipedia entry chronicles over 30 singles released between 1962 and 1978 but no album until Tell Me a Lie, released by Motown in 1982. Hearing how incredible she sounds on I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise only makes the intermittent fame she achieved between 1962 and 2005 feel like that much more of a travesty. When I encounter artists like this, I’m often left wondering how and why they weren’t able to achieve more musical fame earlier in their career (or, with some artists, ever). I’ve never come up with a satisfactory answer to the question.
Thankfully LaVette has found success with eight albums released since 2005, garnering seven Grammy nominations and generating significant success on the Billboard Blues chart.
TRACK: “Darken Her Horse” from Feel It Break (2011)
ARTIST: Austra
Austra, a Canadian electronic band fronted by the classically trained composer, singer-songwriter, and producer Katie Stelmanis, released their debut studio album Feel It Break in May 2011. I remember this album hitting me so hard - it felt like I hadn’t heard anything as fresh and exciting in a long time. The operatic opener Darken Her Horse begins slowly with a sparse repeating synth riff the only accompaniment to Stelmanis’ restrained vocals. By the one-minute mark, additional synth melodies are layered in and as Stelmanis’ voice begins to open up, the drums come in just before the two-minute mark. By the three-minute mark, Stelmanis is in full throat, continuing to ramp up the intensity through a double chorus in the lead up to an abrupt but satisfying ending to the song.
Feel It Break was shortlisted for a Polaris Prize (the award for the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit; modeled on the UK Mercury Prize), ultimately losing out to Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.
TRACK: “Demain (Jazz)” from Princesses Nubiennes (1998)
ARTIST: Les Nubians
Princesses Nubiennes, released in 1998, is the debut album of Les Nubians, the French duo comprising sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart. Drawing comparisons to Sade (they do cover Sweetest Taboo on the same album) and Soul II Soul, the album, recorded almost entirely in French, was initially targeted to Francophone countries. The album performed poorly in France upon release but did later gain traction after finding success in the US. The popularity of lead single Makeda, which was picked up by college and R&B stations in the US, led to a Grammy nomination and winning the 1999 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best New Artist, Group or duo.
TRACK: “Destiny” from Simple Things (2001)
ARTIST: Zero 7
There are a handful of songs and albums for which I retain a vivid memory of the place and time at which they came into my life. Simple Things, the 2001 debut album by Zero 7, is one such album.
It was January 2002, and we were spending a couple nights in Boston after ringing in the new year up in New Hampshire at a lovely B&B (our first ever). While I must have sampled the album at the massive Borders store on the corner of Washington and School Streets (RIP; now replaced by a Walgreen’s) before purchasing, it was upon returning to our hotel, the Millennium Bostonian Hotel adjacent to Faneuil Hall, that I was introduced to the full magic that is Zero 7 the band, and Sia the vocalist.
This album has firmly established itself as one of my Desert Island Discs and Destiny, the second single released from the album finds itself on my Spotify playlist My Favorite All-Time Songs, in the rarefied company of 33 other tracks.
The chorus remains emblematic, to both my wife and to me of who we are to each other: “When I'm weak I draw strength from you / And when you're lost I know how to change your mood / And when I'm down you breathe life over me”.
TRACK: “Duchess” from Scott 4 (1969)
ARTIST: Scott Walker
Following on the heels of the previous track, the first from one my Desert Island Discs, is the glorious, country-infused Duchess from Scott Walker’s fourth solo album Scott 4. I adore the syrupy baritone of Walker’s voice, and his range both vocally and lyrically are on full display on this track, and throughout the entire album. I won’t pretend to understand exactly what Walker is writing about here, particularly in the first verse, but I’m enthralled nonetheless:
It's your bicycle bells and your Rembrandt swells Your children alive and still breathing And your look of loss when you're coming across Makes me feel like a thief when you're bleeding Duchess, Duchess Light up your candles for me Duchess, Duchess Put all your love back in me I come listening, I touch touching With the Persian sea running through your veins You shed your names with the seasons Still they all return with their last remains And they lay them before you like reasons With your shimmering dress, it says no, it says yes It says I've nothing left for concealing It's your shiftless flesh and your old girl's grace It's your young girl's face that I'm breathing
When I began compiling my list of Desert Island Discs, three albums immediately came to mind, one of which was this one. It’s just absolutely flawless for me.
TRACK: “Daisy Jane” from History; America's Greatest Hits (1975)
ARTIST: America
In September, over on the always fantastic Check This Out! substack, Kiley Larson posed the question Who Are Your “Greatest Hits” Kinda Bands? Further discussion ensued in the comments section, where I added that it had to be America for me. While it’s clear they have a catalog filled with fantastic tunes, I’ve never been able to connect with any of their individual albums. Each of their first five albums produced between 1 and 3 singles that would find their way to the greatest hits album, with Sandman being the sole non-single album track to make it. History is absolute gold for me and remains one of my top five greatest hits albums.
Daisy Jane was the second single from America’s fifth studio album Hearts and came on the heels of Sister Golden Hair, the band’s first #1 single since 1972’s A Horse with No Name.
TRACK: “Down By The Sea” from Business As Usual (1981)
ARTIST: Men at Work
Business as Usual, the debut album by Men At Work was released in Australia in 1981 and was released in the US in 1982. I’m fairly confident this was the first album I ever owned in CD format, most likely the 1983 CBS Records release (Catalog: CK 37978). Somehow, despite all the ups and downs and the trials and tribulations I put myself through, I managed to hold on to this CD all the way through the early 2010s when we offloaded our CD collection after digitization to MP3s. Although I’m still on the fence, this album remains a strong candidate for one of my Desert Island Discs.
The obvious track choice here would have been Down Under, but that’s actually one of my least favorite tracks on the album. Instead, I’ve gone with closing track Down By the Sea to wrap up this week’s playlist.
Life in the key of D: Discipline
For much of my life I’ve had a complicated relationship with the idea of “discipline”. As a young man I was inclined to buck authority, which resulted in a heightened level of “attention” from the teachers at the private boy's school to which I’d been sentenced. Regardless of whether it could be deemed “deserved”, there was a lot of shaming wrapped up in the manner and the form of the discipline that was dispensed.
I’ve always deeply resonated with the Pink Floyd lyric, “When we grew up and went to school / there were certain teachers who would hurt the children in any way they could / by pouring their derision upon anything we did / and exposing every weakness however carefully hidden by the kids”. I’m sure many of my compatriots from those days would tell me to “man up and get over it”, which is actually quite reflective of the problem. Well, I did manage to get over it, after almost a decade of alcohol and drug abuse, followed by ten years of therapy after getting sober.
Nowadays I view discipline through a much different lens. My recovery program demands a degree of discipline - to not pick up a drink or a drug one day at a time, to regularly review my behaviors and promptly make amends when I’ve wronged someone, to maintain a spiritual connection through daily prayer and meditation, and to practice selflessness and humility as much and as regularly as possible.
A little less than a week ago, this passage appeared in one of my daily recovery readings:
“The only course open to me, if I was to attain a joyous life for myself (and subsequently for those I love), was one in which I imposed on myself an effort of commitment, discipline, and responsibility.”
That resonated so incredibly deeply with me and as is so often the case, appeared to me at a time and place in my life where it was exactly what I needed to hear.
Although I’ll always struggle with the darker angel of my nature, the daily application of a degree of discipline in my life, applied gently but firmly to those problem areas I’m still trying to address, remains an important piece cultivating peace and serenity.
The joy, truly, is in the journey.
Thanks for reading along this week! I hope you found or rediscovered some exciting music, music that you connect to, or which brings you some degree of joy.
I’ll see you back here next week for an exploration of ten “E” artists.
Until then, be kind - to yourself and others - and happy listening!!
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Here’s the running playlist which will be updated on a weekly basis as each new installment is published.
Tracks missing from the Spotify playlist:
Allegory by Murray Attaway (Week 02)
Thank you for reading Joy in the Journey, I appreciate you being here! If there’s someone in your life you think may enjoy this post, feel free to share it.
Great list! I wish more people knew that ‘Business As Usual’ is so much more than ‘Down Under.’ It really is a fantastic record all the way through.
P.S. I really miss Borders.
Great list of hidden and not-so hidden gems!💎 I’ll respond later with more detail. Love Bettye LaVette so much. I saw her perform live in December and she was amazing.