34. Zeal & Ardor, Hania Rani, Nick Cave, Concrete Blonde, XTC, Long John Baldry & Kathi McDonald, The Replacements, The Matthew Good Band, The Rheostatics, The Farm
Wow, what a list, John, thank you. I can imagine sitting all evening playing records as we have similar tastes in many ways, plus you introduce me to music I hadn't heard of or, if I did, hadn't really considered it deeply before. Similarly, listening to NYtheSpirit.com has exposed me to new stuff, or rekindled love for old music.
I wasn't too taken with the tracks by Rheostatics or The Replacements, which is unusual; I'm mostly ten out of ten on your lists.
Zeal & Ardor were completely new to me. A commenter compared them to Red Hot Chili Peppers, which I get. Liked this track, with a dark, brooding energy. I've been passively listening to Hania Rani videos for a few years now, but have yet to find a piece short enough to consider for a blog post. You found it for me!
Cave's nod to Marc Bolan & T. Rex is superb; the Marsbar playing it recently was the first time hearing this cover. And Wow! to Concrete Blonde covering Cohen. I've heard this before, but watching/listening was a treat. Amazing.
XTC's records were just getting big locally at the tail end of my high school years, so I feel reminiscent hearing their music. I don't remember this one as much as I wasn't listening to much new wave by the end of the 80s.
Marsbar has also reacquainted me with Long John Baldry (or LJB as folks in the chat room call him). I remember hearing him a lot back in the day, ut for some strange reason I never really followed him. Love his music. "Weapon" was a powerful track; liked the video, too. Reminded me a lot of the video for Foo Fighters' "The Pretender."
I'd never seen the video for "All Together Now." I wondered if it would go a little hackneyed with stereotypes romanticizing war, but it was powerful and brilliant. And the shot of the vast field of cemetery markers with the title "All Together Now" was like a gut punch that made me gasp at the end.
Thanks Steve and thanks again for taking the time to listen to the tracks. I am honoured by your presence here. And yes, I'm sure we could spend hours playing tracks for each other in conversation over a bottle of fine scotch, or drink of choice.
Zeal & Ardor is completely new to me as well. It arrived as if by magic shortly after Ruth's death and it hit hard, I can tell you. The imagery of the Gryphon headed into the light is particularly poignant because of Ruth's Welsh heritage. She was born in Cardiff and moved to Toronto at age 3. I don't know if you were able to read the text at the bottom of that video but it reads, "With the body of a proud lion and the majestic wings of an eagle, the Gryphon embodies the essence of strength and grandeur. Its claws and regal dragon's head bestow upon it an aura of fearlessness and power. The Gryphon is a primal being and a loyal companion to the valiant." I took it as a message to carry on. That she'll be watching me from far above.
Yes to Hania Rani. Unlike yourself, I'm not a big fan of classical music which is why I don't often comment on your Sunday offerings, but Rani is bringing me back to the piano in ways which surprise me. This is the second track I've included in the Jukebox, the first being Glass at https://johnsjukebox.substack.com/p/love-is-love?open=false#%C2%A7glass-by-hania-rani
I can totally understand your reaction to The Replacements. I think they must be an acquired taste. I think they used to get a lot of airplay on CFNY back in the day which is how I became a fan. Their music may be understated, but some of their lyrical hooks will grab you and never let go. For instance, in Swinging Party Down the Line, I love the the chorus; "If being afraid is a crime we'd hang side by side, at the swinging party down the line." I featured them once before in the Jukebox with We'll Inherit the Earth at https://johnsjukebox.substack.com/p/29-ill-fly-away?open=false#%C2%A7well-inherit-the-earth-by-the-replacements
As for The Rheostatics, man you don't know what you are missing. I was first introduced to them with their single Record Body Count, another CFNY staple, and bought the album Melville (named after Herman Melville) which to this day I think is one of the best albums I own. I hope you'll give them another chance. Listen to Melville if you get a chance or buy it. Their follow up Whale Music, is equally weird and wonderful and I highly recommend it. Perhaps one of the best ways to appreciate the genius of this band is to watch the movie Whale Music (not the same as their follow up album) if you get a chance. It's a 1994 Canadian Film gem staring Maury Chaykin as a Brian Wilson type recluse trying to connect with wales. Here's a sample from that film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhX_KFAsYXU and a Terry David Mulligan interview with the band about the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJSUrafrw3g
I love the shot at the end of Cave's cover where Bolan walks off, stage left and Cave smiles. I'm a fan of T. Rex going back to Montreal.
Thanks for the Foo Fighters reference. Not that familiar with them, so it's good to get on board. Love this track and the video. I found Matthew Good on the radio which is unusual because I never listen to the radio anymore and did a deep dive and fell in love with his music, both as The Matthew Good Band and as a solo artist.
I'm glad you like the balance of the list. I have a bunch of songs that I have in an unpublished list called Spare Parts. I draw from that and many other sources and try to put something together something that is eclectic, covers a range of time and genres but somehow fits together. Not always easy and I know I don't always get it right, but that's the fun of putting these together. This was one of them that kind of turned into a greatest hits package for me, being that they are all either long time or solid new favourites.
PS: you're welcome for the comments; likewise, I feel fortunate to have your visits and thoughts on my site. I too keep a list of songs on the side to draw from, though rarely seem to get to it. I like how you put songs together based on your feeling of their fit.
Sitting together, enjoying music with fine scotch sounds perfect (I'm not a peat or smoke fan; hopefully that's not a dealbreaker!).
Yes, I could read the text on the Zeal & Ardor video and the connection makes sense; it occurred to me it was a personal link for you. It's mysterious how life brings us these serendipitous messages when we need them.
I've heard stuff I liked by the Replacements and Rheostatics, though can't call up any in memory at the moment. Thanks for sharing "Whale Music." I've heard that before! And fairly recently too, unless my mind is playing tricks on me. BTW, we saw the film of the same name, but many years ago, though I recall having a good impression of it.
That whole video of Cave doing the cover is brilliant.
Not sure where I heard Good before; maybe on Apple Music, KEXP Seattle, or perhaps Marsden's show...
Not a deal breaker. Not in the slightest. I've always been a fan of Canadian content. To me the Rheostatics are a quintessential Canadian Band the same way The Hip are. Matthew Good is another major Canadian talent. There used to be a show on NY called The Streets of Ontario (Ivar Hamilton's show if I remember correctly) which I absolutely loved and often taped, as it showcased the best of local independent music. NY even released a few compilation CDs. I can't say moving out of Toronto did much for my keeping up with Canadian music and CFNY lost all of their best jocks in one a mass firing that turned Ruth and I off the station forever. It happened about this time of year too. Maybe even between Christmas and New Years. It was just mean. It was like a death in the family. The day radio died. CBC is the only radio I listen to now. Well, that and Marsden. Thank You for reconnecting me.
Wow, mass-firing. That's harsh, especially at that time of year. No wonder it turned you both off the station. I'd have felt the same. I was disappointed when CBC Radio 3 dropped all their live hosts, too, as it was a good online source of music. Grant Lawrence was one of their "fairly freeform" DJs who I enjoyed.
I have always been a fan of CanCon, too, and that's part of the attraction to NYtheSpirit.com, since David Marsden features so many Canadian artists, new and old.
Ivar Hamilton is one of NYtheSpirit's DJs... I haven't caught one of his shows yet, but am determined to now. I'm glad to have played a small part in reconnecting you to Marsden, grateful that I was turned onto his shows last year.
I just looked it up on https://spiritofradio.ca/. It wasn't Ivar. It was Peter Goodwin that hosted Streets of Ontario. Reading an article on the history of the station on that site, it looks like the poo hit the proverbial fan in December of 1988 when Selkirk Communications, the owner of the station made drastic changes to the station's format. The article is about as clear as I am as to if the mass exodus was voluntary or not. Either way, it stopped being The Spirit of Radio and became Modern Rock, meaning mainstream. Marsden left in 87 and his replacement and most of the on air personalities who were the soul of the place left at the end of 88 along with Don Berns, Marsden's replacement. I think everyone was limited as to what they could say on air without getting sued. Whatever the circumstances, it was a bloodbath. Ruth and I had been listeners since 1976, the year I moved from Montreal to Toronto. Marsden arrived around 1978 replacing David Pritchard, the station's first program director. I think Marsden came directly from CHOM in Montreal, but can't say for sure as I had left two years earlier. Marsden talks about his stint as the first VJ in Canada in Newfoundland so maybe he came from that. The other DJ that followed me to Toronto was the Live Earl Jive, who is one of the DJs on NYthespirit.com and is probably my all time favourite DJ. I should listen to him more often. I need to figure out how to tape these shows to listen to them when I want. Jive is now working out of Laguna Beach, California and has for a number of years broadcast a show from KXFM called O Canada, which I believe is what he has now brought to NYthespirit. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Canadian Music, but he's got a lot of history in the states too with early connections to Casey Kasem and Fireside Theatre. 155 episodes of O Canada (2013-2022) are available to listen to at https://castbox.fm/channel/O-Canada-w-Earl-Jive-id2778718?country=en As for Ivar, he left for Polygram Canada promoting the likes of Bon Jovi and Def Leppard and worked his way up to VP of Universal Music Canada. He retired last December and if you're curious you can hear all about his career on this podcast: https://www.torontomike.com/2023/12/ivar-hamiltons-exit-interview-toronto-miked-podcast-episode-1391/ - Just listened to it myself. Awesome. All these guys are legends.
By the way, a company called Rogue Amoeba makes a program called Piezo on which you can record on a computer from any source. It’s only $27 USD, surprisingly cheaper than I remembered. They have a slightly more expensive offering ($68), Audio Hijack, that adds the ability to schedule your recordings, among other tools.
So with Piezo, I need to have a computer with me when a show goes live, just like the old days, recording songs off live radio onto a cassette.
I don’t know the legality of using it but if I record a program I delete it after I’ve listened, so, yeah…
I LOVE Earl Jive! He follows Marsbar on Friday nights. I love the effect he puts on his voice. Terrific show. Great music choices. The remainders of the chat often talk about the first few songs in the midst of good-nights.
That’s quite a history lesson. From my work in public relations I had the sense that media outlets were tough places to keep a job. Seems almost all stations had been on a similar journey
You have the best taste in music!!! I enjoyed these so much. Have you ever heard this version of Everybody knows? It’s a bit bluegrassy but I thought is was pretty original. I actually am working on a version of this song.
Thank You. I love bluegrass covers of most songs mostly because I love the instruments and creative arrangements, but also because the singers often speak more clearly than their rock counterparts. I love the accompaniment in the version you shared, but find Holly's vocals are too blurry for my taste. That's a shame, because the lyrics in this song are so powerful. That said, I don't think I would be satisfied with anyone else, being so in love as I am with Johnette's voice. Have you heard her cover of Coldplay's The Scientist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hbpHxIqQQA For me, that's the definitive version.
No but I will remedy that shortly! Have you heard The Stray Birds? They broke up sadly but I met them at Turtle Hill Folk Festival and I think they are terrific. One of my favourites is this one: My Brother’s Hill
Wow, what a list, John, thank you. I can imagine sitting all evening playing records as we have similar tastes in many ways, plus you introduce me to music I hadn't heard of or, if I did, hadn't really considered it deeply before. Similarly, listening to NYtheSpirit.com has exposed me to new stuff, or rekindled love for old music.
I wasn't too taken with the tracks by Rheostatics or The Replacements, which is unusual; I'm mostly ten out of ten on your lists.
Zeal & Ardor were completely new to me. A commenter compared them to Red Hot Chili Peppers, which I get. Liked this track, with a dark, brooding energy. I've been passively listening to Hania Rani videos for a few years now, but have yet to find a piece short enough to consider for a blog post. You found it for me!
Cave's nod to Marc Bolan & T. Rex is superb; the Marsbar playing it recently was the first time hearing this cover. And Wow! to Concrete Blonde covering Cohen. I've heard this before, but watching/listening was a treat. Amazing.
XTC's records were just getting big locally at the tail end of my high school years, so I feel reminiscent hearing their music. I don't remember this one as much as I wasn't listening to much new wave by the end of the 80s.
Marsbar has also reacquainted me with Long John Baldry (or LJB as folks in the chat room call him). I remember hearing him a lot back in the day, ut for some strange reason I never really followed him. Love his music. "Weapon" was a powerful track; liked the video, too. Reminded me a lot of the video for Foo Fighters' "The Pretender."
I'd never seen the video for "All Together Now." I wondered if it would go a little hackneyed with stereotypes romanticizing war, but it was powerful and brilliant. And the shot of the vast field of cemetery markers with the title "All Together Now" was like a gut punch that made me gasp at the end.
Bravo!
Thanks Steve and thanks again for taking the time to listen to the tracks. I am honoured by your presence here. And yes, I'm sure we could spend hours playing tracks for each other in conversation over a bottle of fine scotch, or drink of choice.
Zeal & Ardor is completely new to me as well. It arrived as if by magic shortly after Ruth's death and it hit hard, I can tell you. The imagery of the Gryphon headed into the light is particularly poignant because of Ruth's Welsh heritage. She was born in Cardiff and moved to Toronto at age 3. I don't know if you were able to read the text at the bottom of that video but it reads, "With the body of a proud lion and the majestic wings of an eagle, the Gryphon embodies the essence of strength and grandeur. Its claws and regal dragon's head bestow upon it an aura of fearlessness and power. The Gryphon is a primal being and a loyal companion to the valiant." I took it as a message to carry on. That she'll be watching me from far above.
Yes to Hania Rani. Unlike yourself, I'm not a big fan of classical music which is why I don't often comment on your Sunday offerings, but Rani is bringing me back to the piano in ways which surprise me. This is the second track I've included in the Jukebox, the first being Glass at https://johnsjukebox.substack.com/p/love-is-love?open=false#%C2%A7glass-by-hania-rani
I can totally understand your reaction to The Replacements. I think they must be an acquired taste. I think they used to get a lot of airplay on CFNY back in the day which is how I became a fan. Their music may be understated, but some of their lyrical hooks will grab you and never let go. For instance, in Swinging Party Down the Line, I love the the chorus; "If being afraid is a crime we'd hang side by side, at the swinging party down the line." I featured them once before in the Jukebox with We'll Inherit the Earth at https://johnsjukebox.substack.com/p/29-ill-fly-away?open=false#%C2%A7well-inherit-the-earth-by-the-replacements
As for The Rheostatics, man you don't know what you are missing. I was first introduced to them with their single Record Body Count, another CFNY staple, and bought the album Melville (named after Herman Melville) which to this day I think is one of the best albums I own. I hope you'll give them another chance. Listen to Melville if you get a chance or buy it. Their follow up Whale Music, is equally weird and wonderful and I highly recommend it. Perhaps one of the best ways to appreciate the genius of this band is to watch the movie Whale Music (not the same as their follow up album) if you get a chance. It's a 1994 Canadian Film gem staring Maury Chaykin as a Brian Wilson type recluse trying to connect with wales. Here's a sample from that film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhX_KFAsYXU and a Terry David Mulligan interview with the band about the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJSUrafrw3g
I love the shot at the end of Cave's cover where Bolan walks off, stage left and Cave smiles. I'm a fan of T. Rex going back to Montreal.
Thanks for the Foo Fighters reference. Not that familiar with them, so it's good to get on board. Love this track and the video. I found Matthew Good on the radio which is unusual because I never listen to the radio anymore and did a deep dive and fell in love with his music, both as The Matthew Good Band and as a solo artist.
I'm glad you like the balance of the list. I have a bunch of songs that I have in an unpublished list called Spare Parts. I draw from that and many other sources and try to put something together something that is eclectic, covers a range of time and genres but somehow fits together. Not always easy and I know I don't always get it right, but that's the fun of putting these together. This was one of them that kind of turned into a greatest hits package for me, being that they are all either long time or solid new favourites.
PS: you're welcome for the comments; likewise, I feel fortunate to have your visits and thoughts on my site. I too keep a list of songs on the side to draw from, though rarely seem to get to it. I like how you put songs together based on your feeling of their fit.
Sitting together, enjoying music with fine scotch sounds perfect (I'm not a peat or smoke fan; hopefully that's not a dealbreaker!).
Yes, I could read the text on the Zeal & Ardor video and the connection makes sense; it occurred to me it was a personal link for you. It's mysterious how life brings us these serendipitous messages when we need them.
I've heard stuff I liked by the Replacements and Rheostatics, though can't call up any in memory at the moment. Thanks for sharing "Whale Music." I've heard that before! And fairly recently too, unless my mind is playing tricks on me. BTW, we saw the film of the same name, but many years ago, though I recall having a good impression of it.
That whole video of Cave doing the cover is brilliant.
Not sure where I heard Good before; maybe on Apple Music, KEXP Seattle, or perhaps Marsden's show...
Cheers!
Not a deal breaker. Not in the slightest. I've always been a fan of Canadian content. To me the Rheostatics are a quintessential Canadian Band the same way The Hip are. Matthew Good is another major Canadian talent. There used to be a show on NY called The Streets of Ontario (Ivar Hamilton's show if I remember correctly) which I absolutely loved and often taped, as it showcased the best of local independent music. NY even released a few compilation CDs. I can't say moving out of Toronto did much for my keeping up with Canadian music and CFNY lost all of their best jocks in one a mass firing that turned Ruth and I off the station forever. It happened about this time of year too. Maybe even between Christmas and New Years. It was just mean. It was like a death in the family. The day radio died. CBC is the only radio I listen to now. Well, that and Marsden. Thank You for reconnecting me.
Wow, mass-firing. That's harsh, especially at that time of year. No wonder it turned you both off the station. I'd have felt the same. I was disappointed when CBC Radio 3 dropped all their live hosts, too, as it was a good online source of music. Grant Lawrence was one of their "fairly freeform" DJs who I enjoyed.
I have always been a fan of CanCon, too, and that's part of the attraction to NYtheSpirit.com, since David Marsden features so many Canadian artists, new and old.
Ivar Hamilton is one of NYtheSpirit's DJs... I haven't caught one of his shows yet, but am determined to now. I'm glad to have played a small part in reconnecting you to Marsden, grateful that I was turned onto his shows last year.
I just looked it up on https://spiritofradio.ca/. It wasn't Ivar. It was Peter Goodwin that hosted Streets of Ontario. Reading an article on the history of the station on that site, it looks like the poo hit the proverbial fan in December of 1988 when Selkirk Communications, the owner of the station made drastic changes to the station's format. The article is about as clear as I am as to if the mass exodus was voluntary or not. Either way, it stopped being The Spirit of Radio and became Modern Rock, meaning mainstream. Marsden left in 87 and his replacement and most of the on air personalities who were the soul of the place left at the end of 88 along with Don Berns, Marsden's replacement. I think everyone was limited as to what they could say on air without getting sued. Whatever the circumstances, it was a bloodbath. Ruth and I had been listeners since 1976, the year I moved from Montreal to Toronto. Marsden arrived around 1978 replacing David Pritchard, the station's first program director. I think Marsden came directly from CHOM in Montreal, but can't say for sure as I had left two years earlier. Marsden talks about his stint as the first VJ in Canada in Newfoundland so maybe he came from that. The other DJ that followed me to Toronto was the Live Earl Jive, who is one of the DJs on NYthespirit.com and is probably my all time favourite DJ. I should listen to him more often. I need to figure out how to tape these shows to listen to them when I want. Jive is now working out of Laguna Beach, California and has for a number of years broadcast a show from KXFM called O Canada, which I believe is what he has now brought to NYthespirit. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Canadian Music, but he's got a lot of history in the states too with early connections to Casey Kasem and Fireside Theatre. 155 episodes of O Canada (2013-2022) are available to listen to at https://castbox.fm/channel/O-Canada-w-Earl-Jive-id2778718?country=en As for Ivar, he left for Polygram Canada promoting the likes of Bon Jovi and Def Leppard and worked his way up to VP of Universal Music Canada. He retired last December and if you're curious you can hear all about his career on this podcast: https://www.torontomike.com/2023/12/ivar-hamiltons-exit-interview-toronto-miked-podcast-episode-1391/ - Just listened to it myself. Awesome. All these guys are legends.
By the way, a company called Rogue Amoeba makes a program called Piezo on which you can record on a computer from any source. It’s only $27 USD, surprisingly cheaper than I remembered. They have a slightly more expensive offering ($68), Audio Hijack, that adds the ability to schedule your recordings, among other tools.
So with Piezo, I need to have a computer with me when a show goes live, just like the old days, recording songs off live radio onto a cassette.
I don’t know the legality of using it but if I record a program I delete it after I’ve listened, so, yeah…
Oh my, there’s so much here!
I LOVE Earl Jive! He follows Marsbar on Friday nights. I love the effect he puts on his voice. Terrific show. Great music choices. The remainders of the chat often talk about the first few songs in the midst of good-nights.
That’s quite a history lesson. From my work in public relations I had the sense that media outlets were tough places to keep a job. Seems almost all stations had been on a similar journey
I am going to check out that archive of O Canada!
You have the best taste in music!!! I enjoyed these so much. Have you ever heard this version of Everybody knows? It’s a bit bluegrassy but I thought is was pretty original. I actually am working on a version of this song.
https://youtu.be/e7vE856X3Lg?feature=shared
Thank You. I love bluegrass covers of most songs mostly because I love the instruments and creative arrangements, but also because the singers often speak more clearly than their rock counterparts. I love the accompaniment in the version you shared, but find Holly's vocals are too blurry for my taste. That's a shame, because the lyrics in this song are so powerful. That said, I don't think I would be satisfied with anyone else, being so in love as I am with Johnette's voice. Have you heard her cover of Coldplay's The Scientist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hbpHxIqQQA For me, that's the definitive version.
No but I will remedy that shortly! Have you heard The Stray Birds? They broke up sadly but I met them at Turtle Hill Folk Festival and I think they are terrific. One of my favourites is this one: My Brother’s Hill
https://youtu.be/9QS6XInusSQ?feature=shared
No that's new to me. A beautiful tune and I can see why it has so much meaning for you. What a gift.