Have you ever been influenced to try something new based on something you’ve read or heard? You read a blog by a favorite author and think, “you know, I might just read that book, try that bath soap, watch that program, listen to that song” just to try something new. It’s similar enough to your own tastes but just a little bit different from what you’d normally expose yourself to that you decide you’ll throw caution to the wind.
A few weeks ago, I was up at the crack of dawn but it hadn’t actually cracked. In fact it was dark and threatening rain with no hint of dawn in sight. I was listening to NPR’s “World Café” because it was on and I was too lazy to switch to KGSR (the more Austin folksy radio station) or 101X (the Beastie Boys station which claims to be alternative rock). They were talking to a pseudo celebrity who has a new show on the Sci-Fi channel called “Destination Truth” and he was listing his top 5 songs. With each song he told a story about how he came by it and what it meant to him, making the selections a little more special than just some random list of 5 songs. The next thing I knew, I was tracking down the play list from that show and suddenly:
“Ina Mina Dika” by Asha Bhosle, “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show and Dwight Yoakum’s “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere” showed up on my iTunes.
It got me to thinking about my own music collection and with few exceptions, I can tell you how I came to like a particular band or a particular song. So, I got to thinking – what would be on my top 5 list if I had to choose only 5 and here’s what I came up with (at least these are the top 5 for July 3, 2007 – July 7 may be completely different):
1) “The Golden Vanity” – The Druids – this is from my friend Mark’s album “Irish Sea”. His voice is beautiful and rich and it’s the best version I’ve heard of this particular tune (and there are many out there). My kingdom to be able to post this song.
2) “Metamorphosis One” – Philip Glass – a fairly simple piano piece that was featured in the Battlestar Galactica episode “Valley of Darkness”
3) “Wind on the Buffalo Grass” – Hardin & Russell – This group was a favorite of my father’s in the late 70’s. I’m pretty sure they were based in Texas, performing in Dallas and Austin (and I’m sure other cities around the state). The group featured Tom Russell and Patricia Hardin. Their two albums “Ring of Bone” and “Wax Museum” can now be found on a single CD “The Early Years”) but tracking it down can be challenging. I actually like everything on this album, so narrowing it down to one song is difficult for me.
4) “Honey” – Moby – off of the “Play” album – GREAT tapping music – I can paddle & roll up a storm while this is playing. In fact, thinking about it makes me want to throw on my tap shoes and stomp around, which is my version of dancing.
5) “Life by the Drop” – Stevie Ray Vaughan – I like it for too many reasons to detail.
These are my five – the five that I can always listen to without having to be in a particular mood to hear.
Realizing that two people will play this game, what are YOUR five songs?
(PSST, You don’t have to be a member of Blogger to post a note – just post it anonymously and throw down your name.)
The Big Blue Mess 
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