Time was, there was a kind of space reserved in pop music for the ballad. Harry Chapin was one of the better known practitioners of the form, but there were many others. Being a storyteller by inclination, I have a soft spot for ballads and balladeers, and I miss them. Way, way back …
Category: music
Apr 25 2022
Because Today My Years Are Weighing Heavily Upon Me
I hit the big Seven-Oh recently, and it’s had me…remembering: Stood there boldly Sweatin’ in the sun Felt like a million Felt like number one The height of summer I’d never felt that strong Like a rock I was 18 Didn’t have a care Working for peanuts Not a dime to spare But I …
Apr 21 2022
Some American Music
Yes, I’m old. Yes, my tastes are “fossilized,” even “petrified.” But I know what I like – and I claim I have good reasons to prefer it to the modern crap, even if I decline to discuss them. Accordingly, have a terrific tune from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s classic album Uncle Charlie …
Apr 06 2022
We’ve Lost Another One
You have to be my age or older to appreciate the loss of certain artists. Indeed, being my age or older is no guarantee that you’ll remember them at all. Like Paul Siebel, who passed away just last night at age 84: Siebel’s 1970 Elektra album, Woodsmoke and Oranges, is a treasure few …
Jan 17 2022
A Little…Afternoon Music?
I have a great fondness for the folk artists of the Sixties, particularly for the ones who started out with nothing but a guitar and a folder full of song lyrics. Most faded away and were forgotten. A couple of them became famous. A handful failed to reach Dylan’s heights but retained a following. …
Jan 10 2022
We Need Some Music Around Here!
And so we shall have some: Last night I dreamed about you I dreamed that you were older You were looking like Picasso With a scar across your shoulder You were kneeling by the river You were digging up the bodies Buried long ago Michelangelo Last night I dreamed about you I dreamed you …
Dec 26 2021
Saint Stephen
Today, December 26, is the feast day of Saint Stephen, one of the first (some accounts make him the very first) martyrs to the Christian faith. Here’s what this morning’s missive from the Catholic Company has to say about him: St. Stephen (1st. c.) was one of the Church’s first deacons in Jerusalem …
Nov 03 2021
When Princes Meet
Just because I feel like it…and because it is exactly what princes do: When princes meet, the poor little men must tremble In judgment seat. they speak of their wars while great armies assemble Their armor shines to shame the sun They move like gods they do resemble All bow their necks to iron …
Oct 23 2021
Mood Elevator
Aware that my mood and my writing have been trending darker, I’ve been trying to post as many uplifting pieces as possible. Have one right now; Many virtuosi are more concerned with promoting themselves than with making music as it should be made. Pat Metheny is not of their ilk. Unparalleled in skill …
Oct 10 2021
Just Because I Feel Like It
I’m in something of a mood this evening, so have a couple of songs from two of the paramount singers of the Twentieth Century. First, from the late, great Stan Rogers: And for dessert, the two pieces that made Tom Rush a legend: I suppose the Twentieth Century wasn’t all bad, after …
Sep 13 2021
Parodies Sometimes Improve On The Original
Consider these two songs, the first the original by R.E.M.: Now, the parody, by the immortal Al Yankovic: Frankly, I prefer the parody. (I must also admit that I do like Spam®. Dad was a Navy man, and the stuff was a staple of his diet in his World War II years.)
Sep 04 2021
Every Era Of Music Has Its Standouts
As the Disco era of the Seventies faded, new powers arose to make their mark in popular music. The guitar faded as a dominant instrument, supplanted – though only for a while – by the synthesizer. Some Eighties bands were as fleeting as the life of a mayfly. Others, such as the Pointer Sisters, …
Sep 03 2021
Fifty Years Ago…
…a musical prodigy named Todd Rundgren decided to stretch his wings further than he ever had before. This was the result: I wanted to write you… …a beautiful, beautiful song I wanted to write you… …a beautiful, beautiful song A beautiful song The kind that makes your memory go sailing through the …
Sep 01 2021
Because We All Need To Be Blessed Now And Then
The wanderer has far to go Humble must he constant be Where the paths of wisdom lead Distant is the shadow of the setting sun. Bless the daytime Bless the night Bless the sun which gives us light Bless the thunder Bless the rain Bless all those who cause us pain. Yellow stars may lead …
Jul 22 2021
Something Catholic And Beautiful
If you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of Loreena McKennitt, it’s high time. Listen to what she does with the stanzas from Saint John of the Cross’s classic tome Dark Night of the Soul: Upon a darkened night The flame of love was burning in my breast And by a lantern bright I fled …
Jul 19 2021
Something Unexpected
Liberty’s Torch isn’t a well-known, heavily-trafficked site. Thus I don’t expect to receive a great deal of email from persons with a significant public profile. I get a little of it…evenly split, as you might imagine, between applause and razzberries. So the following, which arrived in the email moments ago, came as a surprise. …
Jul 08 2021
For The Masculine Readers Of Liberty’s Torch
Has a woman ever betrayed you? Has a woman you’ve cherished abandoned you? Do you live with the inability to trust to this very day? Then this is for you: They think we do not value them. They think their bodies are all that matter to us. They …
Mar 23 2021
Culture, Context, And Criticism
Forgive me, Gentle Reader: I’ve lost the link, but a few days ago I read an article that sticks in my mind for reasons you will soon grasp without prompting. It was a critical article about The Who, the great British rock group that blew through pop music in the late Sixties and early …
Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
