Monday, July 14, 2008

These Days

Over the weekend I treated myself to volumes 1 and 2 of Jackson's acoustic albums:





Listening to him sing "These Days" on Vol. I took me right back to one early evening when he took me and someone else -- one of you? -- outside, under a freeway, to listen to his new song.

I must be getting old because I felt very sentimental listening to him sing that song again.

His song "Lives in the Balance" is also eerily relevant today.

6 comments:

Diane Smith said...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tPk11AugG4c

Rik Elswit said...

"Lives in the Balance" is a great song, and an important one. But it's not an easy tune to pull off live. Jack has become such a good musician that he makes difficult music look easy until you try and play it off yourself.

If it were an easier cover it would have gotten out there more.

Diane Smith said...

Rik, here's a video of this song, which is linked from the front of his website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8szhQfJoL-s

He also has another cd in the works: Time (the) Conqueror.

I better get to work. Time may not be conquering (yet) but it threatens to pass me by.

Tony Duque said...

Diane - Those two CDs are nothing short of wonderful. Re your experience hearing an early version of "These Days"... I can tell you it wasn't me who accompanied you that evening. But I do remember once when he asked me to listen to the classical-sounding guitar part to "we can be" which he'd just whipped up. That took place behind some building... perhaps the Paradox (wasn't there an alley in the back?), or maybe outside of the Four Muses... that detail has escaped... as have many others. What's left, however, is the warm feeling of having been invited to share in his excitement. A real privilege.

Rik - I totally agree with you about what a gifted musician (esp. guitar player) JB has become. He has mastered the difficult (my opinion) skill of picking complex melodies and licks out of uninterrupted strumming... blows me away.

Diane Smith said...

Tony, I'm thrilled to hear you like those c.d.s. What's fun is to listen to him sing so many songs from those early years and talk about them. It's like reliving some of those days with him.

Hearing Jackson sing that particular song -- when he was what 17? -- is one of those memories that has really stuck with me over the years. Not sure who lived in that apartment by the freeway. Maybe some of the Dirt Band? I'll have to ask them when I see them next week.

As for the Paradox, I remember the parking lot -- but can't recall the alleyway. Bob might though!

Speaking of the Dirt Band, they are competing next Wednesday at my local Montana fair with ..... a hypnotist (not George Sharp, alas).

Unknown said...

Yes Tony and Diane, in the warm- up room there was a back door that opened to an alley. On the other side of the alley was a fence, and behind that were homes. Sometimes, the people in the homes would call to complain, funny smells in the air and we were keeping them awake.....
Bob