Happy Diwali

Laxmi Aarti in the 50Cent Hip Hop style

Here's wishing a Happy Diwali to all readers !!

The story so far ...

A fresh new look at one of my favorite story about my favorite city ..

Fine and Mellow ... forever

I had loved Fine and Mellow ever since I had first started listening to Billy Holiday.

At that time I did not know anything about her and picked her tape just on a whim. I was hooked to it, much to chagrin of my room mates and I continued to explore and learn more Billy even as the tape wore off due to over usage.

This sound can be easily noticed a lot of old bollywood tracks. I guess this was their concept of western and happening music, as rock and roll was yet to arrive in the scene.

Fine and mellow is a regular 12 bar blues which was one reason I gravitated to this song and was one of my earliest Billy Holiday favorite. Sadly I could never find this particular version among all others littered across cyberspace. With time I came to know about the story behind it




Actually this recording came in as a reunion of old swinging stars. A sense of excitement as well as nostalgia is cracking among players. Especially during the second solo by Lester "Prez" Young. Billy doesn't just follow him perfectly she's loving it too .....

Me too :) It's a treat to watch them play together!.

Lester and Billy, their story is a stuff of movies and books. Maybe I'll cover it during next post. ..

Everything's Broken

Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds.

Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken.

Broken bottles, broken plates,

Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts.
Broken words never meant to be spoken,

Everything is broken.

Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground

Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones.
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',

Everything is broken.

Every time you leave and go off someplace

Things fall to pieces in my face

Broken hands on broken ploughs,

Broken treaties, broken vows,

Broken pipes, broken tools,

People bending broken rules.

Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,

Everything is broken.

Listen to Dylan singing this (I hope this ain't broken yet!)

Kite

Rock band U2 has always intrigued me. They are allways there in list of Tops. Top annual earners, popularity, even guitar world’s most important people blah blah..... What is wired about them is that they are not your traditional blues based rock. Hell, there is hardly ever a showcase shining long guitar solo which make gives rock and rollers most of their guitar gods!!

"So what makes U2 great!". I asked this question to Oliver, the most vocal U2 fan I have ever met. He said for one they are great because they managed to stick together for more than 25 years. I’m sure he had told me more but the conversation got washed in Beer and come to think of it, its more than 5 years since we had this talk.

Personally I have never been a U2 fanatic but you'd always find U2 songs in my play lists. Over the years I managed to come out of Joshua Tree fixation and got more of their music. One reason I love them is same as most of other people in world: BONO, The way he writes and sings the songs, there is simply nobody else like him.

Aah the songs.....Which brings me to the question what’s your #1 U2 song?

For me for a long time it was With or without you. Then it was One from Actung Baby. Really awesome song. If you disagree then just sing along with it and you will see my point.

..And then The Kite flew in, and blew me along with.Here's how the song goes ..

from the Album: All That You Can Leave Behind

Kite

Something

Is about to give

I can feel it coming

I think I know what it is

I'm not afraid to die

I'm not afraid to live

And when I'm flat on my back

I hope to feel like I did

And hardness

It sets in

You need some protection

The thinner the skin

I want you to know

That you don't need me anymore

I want you to know

You don't need anyone

Or anything at all

Who's to say where the wind will take you

Who's to say what it is will break you

I don't know

Which way the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around

Don't want to see you cry

I know that this is not goodbye

It's somewhere

I can taste the salty sea

There's a kite blowing out of control on the breeze

I wonder what's gonna happen to you

You wonder what has happened to me

I'm a man

I'm not a child

A man who sees

The shadow behind your eyes

Who's to say where the wind will take you

Who's to say what it is will break you

I don't know

Where the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around

I don't want to see you cry

I know that this is not goodbye

Did I waste it

Not so much I couldn't taste it

Life should be fragrant

Rooftop to the basement

The last of the rocks stars

When hip-hop drove the big cars

In the time when new media

Was the big idea

What was the big idea

It’s unfair for me to try writing anything about this soaring giant. I will rather quote what others are saying (Taken from www.songfacts.com)

The Edge considers this his favorite song on the album. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Bono also mentioned that "Kite" was his favorite song on the CD. He also referenced the death of Michael Hutchence, former singer for INXS while discussing the song.

On the the Elevation tour of 2001, Bono said this was "about saying goodbye to somebody you don't want to say goodbye to."

On their performance at Slane Castle in 2001, a few days after his fathers dead, Bono dedicated "Kite" to him... And in the line "I know that this is not goodbye...", he was crying. I'm sure everyone had a lump in his throat at this time.

- Marius, Lüneburg, Germany

Paul in alt.music.u2 calls it greatest U2 song ever, I can’t agree with more. Here is what he has to say:

Well, my soft cell has never been so affected by a song before (And perhapsI said the same thing with the Fly back in 92:), but nonetheless.It's raining in Tucson today, that drizzly non-stop Seattle kind of rain,not that normal Tucson monsoon stormy kind of rain, "Rain without Anxiety":) Took Kite out for a spin, and all I can say is between the rain, the citylights, the memories of all I can't leave behind, I cried tonight listeningto that song for the first time in a year.

This song once again reminds me of that evocative journey that I used to betaken on with U2, and all I can say to the guys is thanks.You have started to turn a year of my life haunted by sickness, death andpain, and made me believe it all wasn't so bad in the end.

Kite is magic, there is no doubt an enchantment was imbued on this song.

It is Glorious! I cannot think of a better word in my vocabulary to describe it.

So true!!!

Recently I came across this nice video for the song and I just had to add it to the post.. kewl