Forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but before everything went tits up at the beginning of 2000, I would have considered myself to be a fan of music. I had a healthy collection and I knew what I liked.
I still know what I like but my collection is a bit under the weather.
Now my friend, I reconnected with on the back of a rather grandiose gesture on facebook. At the beginning of 2010 I declared that I would try to make more of an effort in reconnecting with old friends and to form some sort of social life.
A few friends accepted the olive branch, but it continues to be a slow process, I have been off the radar for more than twelve years now! One thing with this illness is that time has lost it's sense of meaning to me. Twelve years have been and gone, but so little of note has occurred, that it only feels like a couple. But for all of my social group whose journey through life has continued at a "normal" pace twelve years is quite simply that, twelve years! A long time and their lives have moved on.
Like I say, I'm well and truly off of their collective radars!
With a depressive illness like mine I've learnt that things that used to bring me joy failed to have meaning. Very sad. The most precious things to me where joy could no longer be found were listening to music and reading. Cruel.
Slowly during 2010 things started to pick up. Friendships have been reformed and new one's ventured into. I began to read and listen to music again. Reading I still struggle with as my memory is far from being back to anywhere like it used to be! But music can be felt with immediacy as well as leaving a lifelong mark.
This is what has happened with my discovery of the band Elbow, by way of a compilation cd lent to me by my friend. The moment I put it on something altered inside of me, and I knew this music would be a part of my life for ever more. A very special feeling that, beautiful!
For those of you who like a more complete picture, flesh on the bones if you like, please follow the link to the Wikipedia (my new memory!) page for Elbow....
Elbow (Wikipedia page)
From their discography you can see that their first studio album.... Asleep In The Back (Wikipedia page) was released in May 2001, at this time I was in the throes of my nervous breakdown! That's my excuse for them slipping through the net the first time, and I'm sticking with it!
I first became aware of them in my subconscious on the back of their fourth studio album.... The Seldom Seen Kid (Wikipedia page) was released in March 2008. At this time I was beginning the long and arduous journey towards understanding Hypothyroidism, and it's own peculiar impact on my life. They garnered quite a bit of media interest on the back of this release and it's easy to understand why! It culminated in them winning the 2008 Mercury Music Prize (Wikipedia page) a prestigious award. And on the evidence available to me, richly deserved!
I want to hear what they are all about!.... I hear you cry!.... or is it my imagination?
Well as you know, this is the tricky bit, trying to insert YouTube video clips in the interest of a more satisfying blog experience.... I'm just too good to be true.... can't take my eyes off of you.....
Blogger and YouTube need to pull their collective fingers out on this! Those with more accomplished IT skills than me must find the whole thing infuriating.... although I suppose they can design their own websites!.... if only.... I make do with hissy fits.... which I'm good at.... and swearing out loud.... and I'm world class at that!!!!
My first offering to you is the song Grounds For Divorce (a live recording made at the world famous Abbey Road Studios.... of Beatles fame no less!), which just keeps getting better and better each time I hear it!
Next up is the heartwarming and just incredibly uplifting One Day Like This (also from the Abbey Road Studio session).... I dare you not to have a smile on your face after listening to this.... and smiles from me are hard won let me tell you!
This next song Mirrorball is an audio track from YouTube.... hypnotic is the word I'm looking for....
This last track.... I wouldn't want to be accused of overkill now would I?!?!.... Lippy Kids, is an exclusive live performance of the song from the forthcoming album Build A Rocket Boys, released in the UK on 7th March.... treat yourself, because I know I will, and lets enjoy the experience together.... here's a taste.... it's awesome!
Everything I need from a great group of artists.... and there is no doubt that's what they are.... comes together with Elbow. It's hard to find the words to do them justice but the lyricism really strikes a chord with me as do the melodies and overall sound of a group of artists at the top of their game. Three of the four songs included above are live studio recordings that drip with emotion....
I feel very privileged to have been introduced to them properly by my friend this past couple of weeks.... I get it.... and that makes me feel real good!
If you enjoyed this offering it was my pleasure, and I hope you buy the records.... mine are on their way to me as I write.... I had to raid the coin jar to pay for them.... but I can't for the life of me think of anything that provides such fantastic value for money as this music! It feels naughty to only be paying just over £4 for each album on cd from Amazon.... there's something not right there.... but beggars can't be choosers so I am grateful....
If this was not your cup of tea, I'm sorry. That is the beautiful thing about all art mediums.... beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and today I hold it.... but what a boring world we would live in if we all had the same taste!.... I'd be fucked for sure!!!!
I'm not one of these.... oh, that's shit that is, don't know how you can listen to that shit!.... just the tip of the iceberg known as narrow mindedness.... the curse of mankind....
I like many types of art.... equally, there is so much more that I don't get.... or that just doesn't do it for me.... for no rhyme or reason.... whaddya gonna do.... c'est la vie....
Now for the irony.... come on!.... you know I like my irony.... Elbow are playing a small, intimate, warm up gig for their forthcoming UK Arena Tour on the back of Build A Rocket Boys release.... at The Junction in Cambridge.... less than 1,000 capacity.... just down the road from me!
I haven't been to a gig in SO long.... and this is happening soon.... on my doorstep.... that it's no surprise that it's sold out!.... the tickets went on sale the 20th January.... the gig is on the 2nd March.... shit happens!!!!
I can only imagine how good it would be. And what a great fillip it could have been.... I really enjoyed my first trip out to the movies, in more than 12 years, to see The King's Speech.... with the same friend who put me onto Elbow!
What greater way could there be for me to repay his generosity of spirit than to say.... guess what mate, I managed to score a pair of tickets to that Elbow gig.... I love music.... he LOVES music.... don't worry I've thanked him many times already.... so many times in fact that he is no doubt worrying about my state of mind!
There.... I've done it!.... a post that is about more than my battle with Hypothyroidism.... it has felt good to share with you, and put this type of post in the rotation.... a more upbeat, positive vibe that reflects the fact that I'm holding on to the gains made since introducing VitaminD3....
At long last.... and not a moment too soon.... I now know my arse from my Elbow!.... boom, boom!
For as long as there is hope we have a chance....
Elbow rekindled my love of music, too. It used to mean so much to me.... but I got busy with life and career (and hanging around with too many old farts!). I will be forever grateful to them for that.
ReplyDeleteAnd strangely, I also have a friend to thank. Having read your beautiful salute and gesture to your friend, come to think of it... I haven't thanked my friend properly. I'll have to remedy that. See? You just made some anonymous person on the internet a better person.