So, clearly I really love Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road LP. Really? You think? But I thought that once I changed my page and just embraced my obsession, it would wane. However it waxes full on as autumn approaches. I practically listen to it everyday, or anyday that I'm out and about with my iPod.
Growing up it had such a deep impact on me. I think it was really the artwork that mesmerized me so, plus I had a crush on the band, yes, the whole band, including, if not especially Bernie Taupin. And wtf can I say, listening to it all again, (and again) I had really good taste for a 7 year old.
"I was just a kid...."
and would sit on the couch and unfold these records that belonged to my mom and dad, or sister or brother. This one was my brother's. Back when Vinyl was, well Mofo VINYL, in all it's progressive 70's glory......I just loved to read the lyrics, and look at the fascinating illustrations, and try to figure out what the hell it was all about. It's as if each song held some mysterious life lesson, some fashion to be figured out, and into my future. It's definitely the first time I had heard of Marilyn Monroe to referred as Norma Jean. Or indeed, the phrase "Really Keen". The list goes on, I could completely dissect it track by track, lyric by drawing, photo by pounding piano, most memorable lyrics by resonating guitar arrangements. But instead, why don't you just put it on right now and listen to it! 8-)
Thanks.
It really is such an Autumn album. Mostly because of my favourite (song in the world perhaps), the first one: "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" Starts with a wind, spookily whistling through the trees as a church bell rings and an organ dirge starts it's paces. It's almost straight out of a beloved (by me) spaghetti western, but more actually, it's straight out of my back yard as a child. Not only did I have the bare trees, fallen leaves rustling round in the night, but my grandma and grandpa lived across the dead end, dirt road, on the hill above the lake, where I lived. Did you know that they had a pipe organ in the living room? Why would you. Anyhoo, yeah, that's kind of an entirely different story, but he and my grandma (Bah and Gee Gee as we chilluns called them) built that house themselves with recycled bricks, and forged the wrought iron work, and painstakingly placed in the leaded glass windows etc...
Yep, Life before TV.!
Anyway, one of the cool things he did was acquire an organ from a church
and installed it, pipes and all. Have you ever heard a real pipe organ, outside of a church? They are damn spooky sounding. Whenever he played it, the chords would carry on the wind and then you really had the ghost of autumn calling.
The opening of the album reminds me so much of a Fall night, the smell of the smoke from Bah and GeeGee's fireplace wafting through the air. It would usually be this time of year, because they would leave for Florida at the end of each October.
The reason I bring this all up, is, because listening to this song (and album) but really this song, is the only thing that seems to get me going these days. I wanted to say "makes me happy", but No One and No Thing can "Make us"- "Happy", I believe that...... yet of course, certain things can help nudge us along. 8-)
I was just jamming this song earlier, and as the intro crescendos and then breaks and then builds, yet again, to the crunchy guitar riffs of Love Lies Bleeding, my booty started shaking uncontrollably, boomchakaboom. Kind of like my favourite RoadRunner cartoon, where Wile E. orders the "Earthquake Pills" from Acme, downs the entire bottle and then falls victim to spontaneous tremors throughout the ensuing hilarity. Hmmm, that seems analogous to something.
Anyway, I found myself, dancing with total abandon. Just rocking out, on my own, which I used to do all the time. I must say it's damn good therapy. But not good enough.
Which brings us to the title of this blog.
I've been in a full on funk lately. Not like little bouts, as in the past.
I've done different things to try to make changes. Clearly, I need to do more. I never really wanted to write about any of that here. I don't want my blog to be a diary of my ups and downs. I would never want to put you through that. Plus it would be a full time job recording such meanderings!8-)
Without going on too much about it, I was wondering: has anyone out there tried Prozac? (Well never mind all That, read my Running Up That Hill Blog)
What about Heroin?
Just kidding.
That's just the title of one of my favourite Brian Jonestown Massacre songs.
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