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(Blur - put Britpop on the map - and we're glad they did)

Blur tonight. From the Popscene ep from 1992 - Mace. I always loved this band. I could never quite figure out the whole Blur vs. Oasis thing - I suspect it was more a publicity device than anything else. It was a bit like the Beatles vs. Rolling Stones supposed rivalry in the 60s. It was and is still possible to like both bands and their music and not play favorites. Especially on a Friday night.

Life is too short anyway.

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(Ernst Reuter - first Mayor of Postwar Berlin - no easy gig)

With the 20th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Wall coming up, I've been running through some events involving Germany, and most notably Berlin, during the height of the Cold War.

Ernst Reuter had the somewhat herculean task of being the first Lord Mayor of postwar Berlin. In 1948 he was faced with the blockade of Berlin by the Soviet Army which effectively cut off all supplies of food and fuel to the city. Reuter appealed to the West for help and it began the famous Berlin Airlift, which singlehandedly saved the city from starvation.

On March 30, 1949, Reuter visited the U.S. and was invited to participate in a segment of Meet The Press where the subject of Berlin and the Cold War in general were discussed.

May Craig: “Mister Mayor I’m thinking of it in the larger sense, as long as the Communists hold the basic doctrine of world revolution how can there be peace unless everybody else submits?”

Ernst Reuter: “ As long as Western powers and the free world is not insisting on the liberation and not fulfilling the task to liberate these peoples who want to be free, that will be very difficult. But in the long run the Soviets cannot stay against the greater moral strengths of the western peoples, that is impossible. I don’t know, maybe after twenty, thirty years we will have a war, I don’t know. But for the time being I can see the possibility to come to a solution, at least for the time being without a war.”

Reuter, who died in 1953 never got to see the fruits of his labor, but he was a very integral part of the Big Picture.

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(H.P. Lovecraft - for once, there was a certain amount of truth in advertising)

No self-respecting stoners record collection would have been complete in the late 60s without at least one H.P. Lovecraft lp, usually the self-titled first one. And invariably this track, The White Ship, was the one usually the most worn on the album.

And with good reason - it's a classic. H.P. Lovecraft were together for a comparatively short period of time. Personnel and direction kept changing, but their first album, released in late 1967 is probably the most memorable owing to it's completely unique sound and eerie vocals, particularly the high tenor of Dave Michaels who turns The White Ship into the haunting masterpiece it is.

1967 was indeed an interesting year.

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(On a scale of bad to worse - eleven)

Continuing our odyssey of November 4th, we arrive at 1979. This one went from bad to worse in a matter of hours. And stayed that way for a record 444 days. The U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran is largely thought to be responsible for bringing the Carter Presidency down and it did prove to be one series of epic blunders after the next, culminating in a disastrous rescue attempt that only served to aggravate an already out of control situation and further ramp up the chants of "death to America". But in the early hours of November 4, it only seemed like a diplomatic problem.

Richard C. Hottelet (CBSNews): “Young Iranians described as students, acting with the blessing of Ayatollah Khomeni have occupied the American Embassy in Tehran and hold more than fifty hostages there. They demand extradition of the Shah, who is now under medical treatment in New York.”

As the days wore on, there was no end in sight.

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(Willy Brandt, 1961 - You'd chain smoke too if you had the Russian Army staring at you all day)

Since next week signals twenty years since the infamous Berlin Wall came down, I thought I would post a few items dealing with Germany during the Post-War years. Talk of reunification had been going on since 1946, with the Russians vehemently opposed to it at every opportunity. There had been showdowns between east and west at various times all the way up to November 9, 1989. Always Berlin was perceived as the flash point in any heating up of the Cold War and life in Berlin was regarded by many as life under a heated microscope.

But before August of 1961 there was no wall separating the two Berlins. Only miles of barbed wire fence and checkpoints and troops.

Willy Brandt had the dubious distinction of being Mayor of West Berlin during this time. It was certainly no easy task.

On March 12, 1961, Brandt sat down to a panel interview on Meet The Press and asked about the situation as it currently was in Berlin.

Stewart Hensely (UPI): “Mister Mayor, Soviet Premier Khruschev a few weeks ago sent a communication to Chancellor Adenauer which he restated the demands on Berlin and Germany. This came after a period of relative quiet. Do you anticipate that this Spring or this Summer we’re going to see another increase in pressure on Berlin to bring a crisis as we had in ’58 and ’59?”

Brandt: “It’s hard of course to predict what will happen, but personally I’m inclined to believe that we will not have a new Berlin crisis within the next few months. But the memorandum indicates that new pressure might come sometime later this year.”

Prophetic words from Brandt, since less than five months later the Russians constructed a vast and inescapable wall, dividing the two Berlins. Frequently referred to as "The Wall of Shame", it stood in mute testimony to just how tenuous peace was. And it stood there for 28 more years.

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(Sarah Vaughan in 1947 - one of the greatest voices in Jazz)

Probably one of the greatest voices in the world of Jazz, Sarah Vaughan had the most incredible phrasing and range of any singer of her generation. Listening to her early recordings, the ones she did for small labels in the mid-1940's are really a wonderful introduction to the artist, at least for me. From 1946 to 1949 she recorded a number of sides for the Musicraft label with a veritable who's who of Jazz greats accompanying her.

This track, the pop standard I Cover The Waterfront, is given the Sarah Vaughan treatment that turns a well worn song into a unique experience. It was recorded on October 10, 1947 and features the Ted Dale Orchestra backing her up. 1947 was also the year Downbeat Magazine voted her most popular Female vocalist.

She's been gone for a while and I imagine there are people who have never heard her or are certainly not familiar with her early material.

In any event, here's a good introduction to a legend - or a nice reminder of one.

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(A little hate goes a long way)

Something about November 4th - it must be the moon.

Frank Stasio (NPR News): “Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been shot and killed. Rabin was shot to death as he was leaving a peace rally in Tel-Aviv. Police have arrested an Israeli Jew, a man in his twenties who is said to be a member of a little known right-wing extremist group. The alleged gunman is identified as Yigal Amir. According to Israeli Television he is a law student at Bar-Ilan University and had been involved in right wing causes. Government spokesman Uri Dromi said that a Jewish organization which is anti-government and which is against the peace process took responsibility. He said the group identified the gunman as acting for them.”

The gunman later claimed to be acting "on God's behalf". Little comfort in knowing insanity is universal.

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(Budapest on November 4 - Waking up to smell the sulfur)

Just when the world thought the Cold War wasn't going to get any colder, this happens. Only twelve days earlier, Hungary went through something of an upheaval with anti-Soviet riots springing up all over the country and a return to power of Imre Nagy (pronounced: Imray Nahj), the moderate who was ousted by pro-Soviet Premier Andras Hegedus in 1955.

So on the morning of November 4th, 1956 when you fell out of bed, it sounded like this:

Bob Pfeiffer (CBS News announcer): “ The latest word from Budapest is that Soviet armored forces seized Budapest in a surprise attack today and captured the government of Premier Imre Nagy. According to communications from Vienna the last words at 8:24 am from the . . .one of the news bureaus in Vienna was – ‘we shall leave our post, we shall leave our post’, according to the Budapest operator ‘goodbye friends, goodbye friends. God save our souls, the Russians are too near’. And then the line from Budapest went dead. Repeating – the Soviet armored forces seized Budapest in a surprise attack today and captured the government of Premier Imre Nagy.”

The Russian army quickly captured Budapest and within days the revolt was crushed and the pro-Soviet hardline regime of Janos Kadar was installed. Hungary would slip back into the Soviet Bloc and not really re-emerge until the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years later.

At the time the situation was worrisome as it came hot on the heels of a number of violent clashes in 1956 - the Suez Canal crisis, the Algerian conflict and the anti-communist riots in Poland. It also came at a time when Russia, under the leadership of Nikita Khruschev, was denouncing the Stalin regime and the hope was the new leadership would reflect a moderation on the hardline policies of the past.

No such luck.

Oh . . .the fabulous fifties.

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(The Cheek - new single out as we speak)

Something brand new tonight - in fact, it came out just a few hours ago. The Cheek are a new discovery, via MySpace and my friend Mig Schillace who is an endless source of what's new and interesting in the UK since he does run The Louisiana, one of the more popular clubs in the Bristol area.

As far as I know, The Cheek haven't been together all that long - maybe a little over a year. They've issued several singles and ep's and are in the process of finishing their debut album which is slated to come out next year, via A&M in the UK.

This track, Hung Up just came out and the 7" is available via their website.

I'm sensing a future here.

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(November 3, 1979 - by the end of the day it looked like this)

Saturday November 3, 1979 was supposed to be, by all intents and purposes a slow news day. South Korea had just buried its assassinated President Park Chung Hee, the 1980 Presidential race was getting started, the body of Mamie Eisenhower, former First Lady arrived in Kansas for burial and the coming week would mull Congress giving Chrysler a much needed bailout to stave off bankruptcy.

By the afternoon it got different. Five people were shot dead and at least eight were wounded during an Anti-KKK rally in Greensboro North Carolina, as carloads of whites opened fire on an otherwise peaceful demonstration. Twelve acknowledged Klan members would later be arrested. Protesters overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, signaling what would become a 444 day odyssey of hostages and attempted negotiations.

It goes to prove how quickly things can change, from seemingly nowhere.

But on the morning of the 3rd, when this CBS World News Roundup was broadcast, it was just another quiet weekend.

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(Throwing Muses - Warm tunes for cold nights)

Throwing Muses with Kristin Hersh. I've been a big fan of this group and with Kristin's solo work since just before they released The Real Ramona in 1991. Hersh is a wonderful songwriter and her work is consistently great and has stayed that way for a very long time.

Throwing Muses has pretty much called it a day, with Hersh doing more solo work and getting involved with other projects, including Fifty Foot Wave. I don't think any of them are on a label at the moment, opting instead to do it via their website which, as always can use some support. Kristin also has a great blog.

If you aren't familiar with them - here's one of my favorite Throwing Muses tracks, from their 1995 album University, Crabtown. It's a nice introduction to some great artists.

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(In case you were getting all dewey-eyed for the 70s)

Before George P. Schultz landed in the Reagan Administration as Secretary of State, he served for a while as Treasury Secretary under Richard Nixon, right during the fabled Energy Crisis of the 1970s.

Granted, we hadn't gone through this kind of thing before. It was 1973 and we were about to be distracted in a big way by Watergate, but the thought of skyrocketing gas prices, panic buying at the pumps and oil companies raking in massive profits just hadn't happened this way before or to this extent.

And so everyone, including Schultz was busy scratching their heads wondering what to do as is evidence by this exchange during his appearance on Meet The Press from December 2, 1973.

Irving R. Levine (NBC News): “Would not higher prices for gasoline favor higher income groups to the disadvantage of lower paid people?”

Schultz: “Not necessarily. The . . obviously you have a family budget with so much purchase of gasoline and fuel oil, and to the extent that lower income groups use proportionate to their income a little bit more than higher income groups, it has some of that effect. But I don’t think it’s a major problem in the family budget.”

Levine: “ But would not a lower . . .

Schultz: “It’s much more of a problem than if we don’t pay the price that is necessary and we don’t have any fuel.”

Levine: “But would not a person with a big income feel free to buy whatever amount of gas is necessary to do the driving that he wishes to do, where a lower income person would not be able to?”

Schultz: “That is true of all kinds of things that are reflected in the buying power of people at different incomes.”

Levine: “ Do You oppose rationing entirely, even as a last resort?

Schultz: “Well I said it should be the absolute last resort, and I’m not really sure that it is a genuine alternative in the sense of being really a workable type of system. Of course there are various kinds of rationing, and depending on how its designed it could work better or worse. I think it is worth remembering that toward the end of World War Two we had patriotic fervor and so on, we had six thousand people in OPA, enforcing . .getting after people in the black market, which I think gives you an idea the difficulties of a rationing system.”

Okay, no simple answer. But the disconnect associated with "well, only higher income people drive" strikes me as typical Republican response. Even during the course of the interview, Schultz offers a few snide asides about higher and lower economic brackets. And of course, he was very much in favor of letting the marketplace go insane.

Remember the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over expecting different results - or as a friend put it, doing the same thing over and over and knowing what the results are going to be.

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(Underground - Masterpiece)

A slight change of pace tonight - a soundtrack. Underground, directed by Emir Kusturica is one of my favorite films of at least the last 25 years. I've seen it well over 15 times since it first came out. It is a remarkable film that was controversial at the time (1995) because it dealt with the situation in the region formerly known as Yugoslavia.

Aside from being drawn to the film for its point of view, absurdity and flawless execution, I was also wildly attracted to the frenzied soundtrack.

There is a genre of traditional music from the Serbo-Croatian region, in fact throughout all of Eastern Europe that provides the background for the action in the film.

This track Cajesukarije-Cocek combines traditional vocals along with the pulsing rhythm and horns that's the trademark for this genre.

It's not for all tastes. But me personally - I love it. Especially on a Sunday night.

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(Morton Gould - Americana took up the cause of Latin Americana before World War 2)

In all fairness, Aron Copland did create something of stir and an interest in music of Latin America when Serge Koussevitsky introduced his El Salon Mexico to Boston audiences in 1938. It did get American audiences listening to what was going on with music south of our border. I'm sure it also helped that the coincidence of our increased interest in South America as a potential hotbed of Nazi sympathizers and potential government overthrows had a little to do with it as well.

All that said, it didn't hurt that American composers were eyeing the music and rhythms of South America as a fertile field of interesting ideas. One of those composers was Morton Gould who is probably best known now as an "easy listening" composer/arranger, former President of ASCAP and occasional writer of Broadway musicals, rather than a "serious" composer of orchestral music.

But early on he was. And throughout his life he turned in an impressive cataloge of some serious works.

The Latin American Symphonette probably isn't one of them. It's light, tuneful and rhythmic with lots of nods to Latin dance forms, but it's not a trailblazer and the musical world did not fall over itself at first hearing. It was written in 1940 and had its premier in 1941. This recording, the first, was made around 1943 and issued in 1944 by Victor and featured the Rochester Philharmonic conducted by the Spanish Pianist/conductor Jose Iturbi. It has not been reissued, even on lp.

In the coming weeks I'll post some examples of what was really going on in Latin American music at the time. But for now here's something historic and light at the same time.

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(What it is, is Baseball)

One last salute to Baseball before it all goes away until next year. This one, from a program called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ran a history of baseball up to August 12, 1951 (the date of the broadcast).

Check it out and keep it for that snowy day in January to remind yourself Summer eventually comes.