Pausing between disks 1 & 2 to eat some dinner & absorb. A few first impressions:
Intro to 'Love' - exquisite! I was looking to see which song came next at first but I decided to stop doing that and it's been fun trying to identify each song as it begins. Some of them are easy, some are not. This one almost threw me at first but I remembered hearing it on the Nonesuch site. It's a stunner! 'Judgment of the Moon & Stars' - I wanted to cheer & shout but I wanted to hear the music too so I didn't. I was doing some expressive arm movements toward the end. I do weird shit when I'm alone and listening to music I love sometimes. 'Flat Tires' - everything everybody's said about it. This version shows what a brilliant song it truly is. 'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' - reminded me of her live performance at the Gorge. Chilling. 'Sire of Sorrow' - male voices=Greek chorus. The first thing I thought of when somebody posted about this one. This song has always made me think of the classic Greek tragedies although I know the text is based on the book of Job from the Bible. The male voices as 'The Antagonists' just confirms it for me. This one had me doubled over, stifling noises coming up from my gut and squeezing tears from my eyes. The original is intense for me. This one is exquisite agony. May become my ultimate piece of cathartic music. Those of you who know me & remember what this song means to me will understand why. 'For the Roses' - I think this one just might be Norma Desmond. But she ain't all that hot on getting back in front of those cameras! This one's gonna take awhile to fully absorb it. 'God Must Be a Boogie Man' - This one is a delightful surprise. I'm glad she included a nod to Mingus. Very evident in the predominant bass line. She loved him and she's eternally grateful to him. Joni & Wayne=the Lady & Prez of the 21st century on this one. More later. Mark in Seattle
